A full house of nearly 200 attended the first of four TRRA.Inc.’Meet The Candidate’ Forums at the Soldiers Point Bowling Club Last night, Monday 20 August. We have received a lot of comments from Candidates and the public that it was an informative and entertaining evening presented and moderated professionally.
Two of the three Mayoral Candidates attended, Geoff Dingle and Sally Dover. Bruce Mackenzie, despite a personal invitation from our Chairman, declined to attend, and stated “that he would have people observing, and that if it turned into a ‘shit-fight’ that he would not be attending any of them.”
The lead Candidates for each group from the East Ward, newcomers Nathan Warburton (Greens) and Colin Howard (Ind) and incumbent Clr. John Nell were in attendance. Geoff Brown was controversially represented by former Mayor, Bob Wesbury, John Morrello declined and Ron Swan sent an apology.
All Candidates had been sent two questions, one on the Financial Management of Council and the other on it’s Environmental Planning Performance. In the first section, all were put under a bit of pressure by way of a highly visible digital timer, to introduce themselves and their team, give a brief outline of their ‘Vision’ for Council and broadly answer the two questions which were on screen behind them, in five minutes.
In the second section, candidates selected by the Moderator (John James) were asked a series of questions and given two minutes to answer, with three of the other panel members able to comment on the topic raised. The topics mostly came from TRRA members and the public through our website and emails. The questions and the introductions were designed by the ‘Forum Team’ to raise public awareness on the major issues that will be facing the new Council that have not always had much airing in the mainstream media.
The ‘Forum Team’ burned the midnight oil for the last few weeks, preparing the Questions and the format, and were still making last minute tweaks to the presentation just before it started. We were pushing the technology to the limit with two computers, two projectors and three PowerPoint presentations all running simultaneously. Keeping it fresh and challenging for the next three meetings will be a test.
The Candidates all responded well, with former Councillors trying to defend past decisions and having to admit ‘mistakes had been made” and prospective new Candidates outlining what their approach would be if elected. There was a particularly strong defence of the previous Council’s performance by the former Mayor who indicated that even though he was on a ticket he was just supporting a candidate who was not present.
The ‘bomb’ question of the evening however came from the floor and succeeded in pressuring the Mayoral Candidates, in particular, and the former Mayor, to reveal the preference deals that have been done for this election. Sally Dover’s revelation that she would be preferencing fellow Mayoral Candidate Bruce Mackenzie, with instructions on how to fill out the ballot paper preferences 1.,2.,3., contrasted sharply with Geoff Dingle’s assertion that a 1. vote for him was “what you see is what you get” and that he would not be directing preferences.
A supplementary question to Bob Westbury regarding the other affiliations revealed on the http://www.mackaformayor.com.au/Macka_for_Mayor/West_Ward_Team.html website, made it clear from a fairly sceptical crowd reaction, that great care should be taken before filling out the ballot paper to see where your vote is actually going to end up, with a new team, or just the old one!
TRRA inc. feel that we had achieved our objective of raising public awareness of the complex issues facing the next Council, the profiles of the aspiring Candidates and some of the political intrigue that always accompanies these contests. We hope that the voters who attended, left the forum better informed on the choices open to them when they ‘Have their say’ on September 8th.
Questions dealt with on the night included:
QUESTIONS PUT TO ALL CANDIDATES
1. Financial Management
2. Environmental Planning Performance
QUESTIONS TO PANEL, ASKED BY MODERATOR
3. Councils Performance Report Card, DLG Review
4. Future – Salamander Shopping Centre
5. Nelson Bay Town Centre and Foreshore Strategy
6. Nelson Bay By-pass
7. High Rise Development on the Tomaree
8. Transparency of Decision Making
9. Council’s Investment in Holiday Parks
10. Shoal Bay Wharf & Foreshore Revitalization
11. Council’s Exposure to Litigation
These questions will not necessarily be the same in subsequent Forums………..
Click: HERE for the Official TRRA Press Release
I attended the first forum as well. Cr Sally Dover went to some lengths to explain her preference arrangements AND to explain to attendees WHAT the preferencing systems is, HOW it works, and what voters can do to make the most of the optional preferential voting. She was the ONLY candidate that did this. Others endeavoured the perpetuate the ‘two horse race’ mantra, which is not entirely honest. Regardless fo your voting intentions, Cr Dover’s up front honesty should be noted.
As an attendee at the 1st Candidate Forum the telling message from the “old guard” was that … “Yes we had made a good few million dollar mistakes on your (that’s you and I) behalf, but how about forgetting that and re-electing us” and “the election is part way to decided because we have seen preference deals done between Sally Dover and Bruce Mackenzie so that there is really only 2 Candidates in that Mayoral race … and candidates that don’t turn up for such meetings are just ‘STACKERS’ hoping to collect a few votes and pass them on to selected candidates, chosen by them, NOT we voters”