Call for nominations
I was pleased when, after telling a few people I intended to nominate for Council, they responded: “Great. We need more people like you". But after hearing the same comment several more times, I began to worry.
Of course, I would agree that people with financial and senior management experience can make a valuable contribution. But we don’t need a Council made up entirely of former corporate executives, just as we wouldn’t want one made up entirely of people from any single profession or background.
Effective local government depends on diversity of experience, skills and perspectives. Councils are a unique mix between a public company board and parliament. They need people with financial and government expertise, but also people with deep community connections. To properly serve the interests of our City, we need representatives of our community who are exactly that: representative. We need older people with a lifetime of skills and experience, and we need younger people who are thinking about what Victor Harbor can become over the next two decades. After having now sat in the gallery for several Council meetings and workshops, it’s clear to me that Councillors also need to have both the skill and the capacity to understand and review proposals presented by Council administration. An inability to understand such proposals creates unnecessary work for administration and could lead to poor decision-making.
With a new Mayor, a new CEO and potentially five or more new councillors, this election represents a significant opportunity to shape our City’s future.
If you’ve ever thought about nominating, now is the time. And with the election delayed until April, there’s still time to consider putting your name forward. More than anything, we need people who care deeply about Victor Harbor -- its history, its community, and its future. We are going through a significant period of change and we will need all the help we can get to navigate the next chapter.
Peter Hanlon
Candidate for Victor Harbor Council