Lead Candidate Sue Wynn
1/ financial experience
I have Certificate IV Financial Management (with Distinction), and I have completed the Board of Directors course. I was a Mathematics teacher for 30 years, so very good with numbers, I currently run a Sustainable Short Term hospitality business. I completely understand my Fiduciary duties and have the ability to implement them.
2/ work experience
My relevant work experience includes 30 years of public education including as a Maths Consultant and Board of Studies Liaison Officer helping people implement our syllabuses. Wyong Shire Councillor where I was on the Risk Management Committee and Tuggerah Lakes Management Plan implementation committee. I have worked closely with my husband who is a Commercial Fisherman on Tuggerah Lakes and do the bookwork for part of our fishing business and small hospitality business. I run a small Sustainable Short Term Rental Accommodation business.
3/ community activism or involvement
I have been active for a number of years in the Mannering Park Progress association and Community Garden Inc. Through the Progress association, we have successfully applied for grants and support for local infrastructure. These projects range from a community garden, seats and historic signage around the Mannering Park area to working to return the retaining sea wall at the holiday park to a more natural and safely engineered solution. I am a current member of Amnesty
4/ What current public causes/issues do you agree with?
I will deal with each cause on its merits, in alignment with NSW Greens policies. In the north we fully support the Coal Ash Dam Alliance, Future Sooner and Disability Access. I support groups working to protect nature, aligning with the international movement aiming to protect 30% of natural habitat by 2030. The Greens support the Wamberal SOS group to prevent, along the coast, building seawalls to protect private property which push problems onto other beaches. Responses to climate change are based in science and may involve managed retreat or reversal of poor council decisions from the 1970s and 1980s.
5/ Why should I vote for you?
I believe the Central Coast can be an area that is responsive to climate change, where people can afford housing and where communities can identify the projects they know their neighbourhoods need.
I was the only Green ever elected to the former Wyong Council. While there I developed an intimate understanding of how councils work and the experience to ensure that Councillors and Council staff can work together to get the best results for our beautiful region. After seven years of administration, it’s this kind of governance know-how which will help Councillors to achieve their environmental, social and financial goals.
Q1/ What’s important to you from the Operational Plan’s vision and framework?
While I would be acting in the interests firstly of Budgewoi ward, and secondly, for the greatest benefit to the majority of the community when supporting plans and initiatives, at this point, without briefings, it is difficult to prioritise only three plans off this list, all of which have been in development for a long time. However, if forced to choose:
1/ I support sections H, I, J, K and L which are all about planning for social inclusion, equity and sustainability, whether that’s affordable housing, utility bike paths, public transport, an expanded COSS scheme, more early childhood centres or facilities for the disabled.
2/ I support Section E, especially E4 – Council has the capacity to go beyond net zero to net-negative emissions through planning and sustainable use of resources, not only pulling our own weight to keep the impacts of climate change manageable, but to show all residents and businesses ways to contribute to a sustainable future
3/ I support Section G, especially G2 – Council won’t reach its potential until trust is rebuilt and that requires honest and transparent engagement with residents, between councillors and with the staff, so that the other key objectives of council can be achieved
Q2/ Which upcoming plans already in the pipeline do you support?
Endorse
1/ Biodiversity DCP
2/ Central Coast Integrated Transport Strategy
3/ Community Strategic Plan
Delete – all these projects have been decided based on prior engagement with the community, and without access to the briefing documents, I am not prepared to suggest deleting any initiatives or opportunities for public consultation through exhibition, at this stage
Q3/ Do you support keeping the 2021 ten year special rate variation (rate increase) beyond 2031?
NO, at this stage, but the Greens (as well as the Australian Local Government Association) do not support rate-capping either, because the evidence from NSW has shown that it leads to reductions in services and infrastructure, and puts the council at the mercy of the whims of state government, when rates are currently only around 30% of the council’s income.
Q4/ How would you increase revenue
(Use the operational plan to give three examples)
Cherry picking individual items from a list of projects underway and already costed is not a useful exercise, although I do undertake to research successful innovative revenue ideas through information from some of the other 60+ Greens councillors around NSW; in principle I would look to increase revenue through measures such as:
1/ Allow no exemptions to developer contributions
2/ Increase parking fees in congested town centres where adequate public transport services/connections exist to assist in reducing car journeys
3/ Landfill charges – encourage recycling/composting and reduction of waste by disincentivising “throwing things away”
Q5/ How would you reduce expenditure
(Use the operational plan to give three examples)
As for Q4, this exercise is of limited utility, however, I note that it can be easier to identify cost savings in very large projects (where overruns can be hidden in the paperwork) or in relation to projects where narrow private market interests are the main projected beneficiaries – as examples I would scrutinise:
1/ DP-053 Gosford Waterfront – this privatisation of the public land at Gosford keeps coming up, and keeps being rejected by the broader community. If private enterprise want it so much, they should pay for it
2/ DP-037 Airport Masterplan – this is a controversial development, threatens a protected wetland, and there has been a great deal of wasted expenditure in the last 20 years on this project, so that to proceed would require significant independent economic modelling to justify any public expenditure
3/ ID 100304 Revue the plant and fleet vehicle acquisitions program ($17m) – look at the turnover of vehicles to see if it is feasible to lengthen time between replacements
So you support locking up 30% of our land and beaches so the community will have no access to them?
Can you please define the meaning of “managed retreat”
Kind regards
Kerry