Central Coast Council elections will be held in September 2020.
My Facebook council watch posts show how the current crop of councillors are performing and but how will we choose our next crop?
Candidates put out glossy information that often doesn’t answer the question: would they be good community representatives on council and what do they really believe in.
My questions:
1/ How many council meetings have you attended/watched?
2/ Which council decision affected you the most?
3/ Which council decision did you most disagree with?
4/ Which one did you most applaud?
5/ Are you on any council advisory committees?
6/ What community groups are you a member of? How long have you been a member of these groups?
7/ What position/s do you hold on these community groups?
8/ How long have you held these positions?
9/ What work do you do?
10/ How would this affect your ability to attend two council meetings a month; two briefings a month, countless community meetings and to accept countless community invitations?
11/ How often would you need to miss a council meeting or briefing due to other commitments or travel or holidays?
12/ Tell me what professional, personal interest, and/or community meetings and events you have attended this year? (Please use as many pages as you need to answer.)
13/ How long is a normal council term?
14/ What is the ward structure of this council?
15/ Name three directors and what they do.
16/ Do you admire any of the current councillors? If so, why?
17/ Why do you want to become a councillor?
And finally, depending on how the candidate has answered the above questions, I might end with this:
18/ What are your policies? (Use as many pages as you need to answer.)
I have put this together in the hope a cohort of young people are planning their campaign to get themselves onto council.
I hope I haven’t scared you off – your council needs you.
Copyright: Merilyn Vale
