1. What led you to run for Mayor?
I decided to run for Mayor during a visit to a friends home at Valentine. It was raining at the time and an elderly lady came to the front door with a petition. She was crying and distraught at the time, saying that she would lose her home of 50 years, a small cottage on the waterfront with a land value that had increased significantly during that time. Her husband had died some years earlier and she was on a fixed income and did not have the resources to pay a 70% proposed increase in rates over the next several years. I recalled reading in the local paper, the General Manager of the Council had been given a $50,000 pay increase halfway through an agreed contract. The pay rise unanimously supported by all Councillors, for a job well done.
That is when I decided things needed to change and I would stand for Council.
2. You’ve stated previously that the council is spending money on things that higher levels of government should be dealing with, can you explain this and what would you prefer to see council spend money on?
Lake Macquarie Council is spending money on matters such as climate change, sea level rise, air quality studies and a peripheral of other matters that State and Federal Government should be and are dealing with. Of course when you have a Sustainability Department with as many employees as Lake Council, they need to seek out these type of projects to keep them gainfully employed.
Whilst these projects have gained priority in our Council, basic core functions are being neglected.
Our Council is also involving itself in entrepreneurial activities and competing with businesses we should be encouraging.
3. You have been a Lake Macquarie council staffer and union representative, how will your experience in these roles help you if elected as Mayor?
Over a 25 year career in Local Government I worked at 3 Councils during that time including Lake Macquarie Council as a Principal Environment Officer. The Council was in my view at the time a good performer with solid old style management principles. The type of management a community could look up to and be proud of.
I would like to return our Council to an organisation the community is proud of. During my career I was a representative for the Development & Environmental Professionals Association. A role that helped me understand the complexities of management in a large organisation whilst at the same time balance environment protection with appropriate development in an harmony. Staff that I worked with at Lake Macquarie were always customer focussed and sought solutions to problems not create them.
4. What is the idea behind the Back to Basics Coalition?
Back 2 Basics Coalition was formed by residents of Lake Macquarie dismayed with our local Council and wanting to see changes to reign in wasteful expenditure and limit the necessity for massive rate increases. Things such as $50,000 exec. pay rises, overseas trips, $10,000 a day on consultants, $8,000 garbage bins, trees planted at $3,700 each and a $100 million waste contract decided at midnight behind locked doors.
5. What is the first thing you would change in Lake Macquarie if elected?
The first thing I would change at Lake Macquarie is how they do business. I want to re-focus Council Staff to working with the community, not against them. Council’s were established by residents to provide infrastructure and services in a cooperative type arrangement similar to a corporate body ie. build roads, drainage, footpaths, libraries etc. Over the years we have seen bureaucracy take control of our local Council, dictating terms and ultimatums to the community that are not necessarily in the best interests of the community but in the political interests of Council and Governments.
An effective council needs to listen to the people they serve, respect their views and wishes and provide essential community facilities and infrastructure as a priority well before State and Federal issues.
6. What would be your main priority if elected?
Although it sounds boring there is a desperate and impending need to reduce Council’s debt and proposed borrowings and implement strong fiscal policy.
Failure to do this could lead to more serious financial trouble than we presently are in. Council recently resolved to increase our rates by massive record amounts higher than ever seen before.
We have a $67 million infrastructure backlog and salaries increasing by around 8% pa. Unless we work to reduce Council’s debt Lake Macquarie could be another Greek tragedy and unfortunately the rate payer will be bailing the Council out of debt again and again. We need to work smarter and harder something that is not presently happening under the current Council.
7. What is your biggest challenge in winning this election?
Back 2 Basics biggest challenge in winning this election is the election process itself. There is enormous support in the community for Back 2 Basics. However, political candidates have an enormous advantage with their parties name included on the ballot paper (ie Labor, Liberal, Greens). Back 2 Basics a non-political party are not permitted to have their name on the ballot paper so voters need to carefully read how to vote information on polling day to ensure they vote for the correct independent group Back 2 Basics are Group B (for East ward), Group C (for West ward), and Group D (for North ward).
8. A prominent issue in the Lake Macquarie area is sea level rise, where do you stand on the issue and what would you like to see done?
Sea level rise is an issue affecting not only Lake Macquarie but the whole of the country. Individual Councils should not be developing policy on precautionary principals based on predictions for the year 2100. The NSW State Government will no doubt in the near future intervene and remove the litigation risks for local Councils.
Our Council needs to consider what is the risk? Over 100 years sea levels have risen .9mm. Over the last 20 years sea level has risen .4 mm. which is an actual decrease, however these measurements will fluctuate over time. State owned Bureau of Meteorology and Manly Hydraulics Laboratory historical records do not correlate with the information we are being told by our Council. In fact of 50 coastal Councils only 15 are being driven by an environmental agenda of scaremongering and politics of exaggerated sea level rise.
If Back 2 Basics is elected with a majority on Council we will place a moratorium on sea level rise notations until such times as the NSW State Government provides instruction on application of such notations and these are to apply to all coastal Councils in NSW.
9. How would you rate the performance of the current council and what would you change?
The incumbent Council at Lake Macquarie spends a fortune on spin doctors and consultants to gain support for it’s inefficiencies. A recent happiness survey cost ratepayers $50,000. They also continue to compare themselves with the dysfunctional Councils of Newcastle and Cessnock. It can be likened to a student comparing themselves with the dunce of the class instead of the dux. Also when comparing the Councils it should be noted that Cessnock and Newcastle councils did not seek 90% and 70% increases in rates which tells us who really is the poor performer of our regional councils. Council needs to be changed to implement the necessary policies to eliminate inefficiencies and open the door to business instead of chasing it away. It will never happen with the current Council because they mistakingly believe they are doing a good job.
10. How do you rate your chances of winning the election?
I rate Back 2 Basics as having an excellent chance of winning the election.
The man seems outdated in both his management style, thinking and his perceptions of local and state government. It’s oh so easy to suggest we all go back to the way it was “when we grew up” but times are a changng. It will truely be a sad day in Lake Macquarie if the ill informed Back 2 Basics gain a place at the upcoming election. Does Mr Sullivan really beleive he can change local government back to rates, roads and rubbish, when the community and all other levels of government are pushing the bariers of responsibility on to local government? When you’re not happy about something in the Local Government area, who do you call? When there is anti-social beahviour near your house, who do you call? When unregistered motor bikes ride up and down the street who do you call? These are all social issues that council has inherited when really, they are crime related and should be directed to the police. Council inherently deals with these issues due to lack of resources and responsibility shifting at state level. I cannot se how one man and his merryment will turn back the hands of time. Good luck to you Mr Sullivan, you’re going to need it if you have that attitude!
^ Who is this Northwarder person? Very rude.