THIRTEEN candidates are running for three seats to represent the South ward at Kingston Council for the next four years. The South ward includes Waterways, Aspendale, Aspendale Gardens, Edithvale, Chelsea Heights, Chelsea, Bonbeach, Carrum and Patterson Lakes.
Ballot papers are being mailed out to voters by the Victorian Electoral Commission ahead of Kingston Council elections on 22 October. Voters should return completed ballot papers well before a final deadline of Friday 21 October, 6pm.
Voters who have not received a ballot pack by Wednesday 12 October should call the VEC on 8619 1615 to arrange a replacement.
Cr TAMSIN BEARSLEY
What suburb do you live in? Aspendale Gardens.
What is your occupation? Teacher – Robotics and Technology.
What do you believe is the number 1 issue for council to tackle? Why?
Building a positive culture of responsiveness and openness to new ideas. Parkrun is a great example, we have 200 walkers, runners and volunteers getting out together each week. We need to encourage more great ideas like this!
Are you, or have you ever been, a member of a political party? I joined Liberal Party in Dec 2013 to make a positive difference.
What has been your biggest achievement during this council term?
Aside from our amazing Children and Family Hubs, we’ve changed council policies and attitudes which saw us welcome independent film festivals, summer carnivals and food truck festivals to Kingston.
What has been your biggest regret during this council term?
I regret not being born a triplet… or a quad! There’s never enough time in the day, and always more to do. Next on my to-do list is more respite care for children with disabilities, safer street tree policy, a specialised van for the immunisation team, completing the bay trail, and that’s just the start.
ALEX BRESKIN
What suburb do you live in?
I am a resident of Mentone. I have lived in Kingston for 15 years throughout the city, with a lot work with the community in the South ward done during my tilt in the 2014 state election as the Mordialloc candidate and during the 2016 federal election as the federal Candidate for Isaacs.
What is your occupation? Software Developer.
What do you believe is the number 1 issue for council to tackle? Why?
Kingston Council does not have any tangible position on climate change. This is light years behind cities like Hume, Whittlesea and Casey which brought about solar feed-in tariffs, Yarra City which is carbon neutral in municipal services, or Frankston which has at least resolved to becoming carbon neutral within a time-frame. We are lagging back in the stone ages compared to our neighbours. The community expects better from our council.
Are you, or have you ever been, a member of a political party? If so, which party (and when if no longer a member)?
I am a member of The Greens. I have been endorsed by the party to run in this election through pre-selection.
Cr DAVID EDEN
What suburb do you live in? Chelsea.
What is your occupation? Small business owner/student.
What do you believe is the number 1 issue for council to tackle? Why?
Improved customer service – too many inquiries and issues being raised are not being addressed in a timely manner.
What has been your biggest achievement during this council term?
Keeping rate rises to a minimum by negotiation with other councillors, construction of family hubs, improved drainage in the South ward, and securing funding for new sporting upgrades including more netball courts.
What has been your biggest regret during this council term?
The most difficult challenge has been working in an environment that has been run on a 5:4 voting block for many important decisions, and always having to fight to protect what we have, i.e. the Green Wedge and local amenity.
Are you, or have you ever been, a member of a political party? If so, which party (and when if no longer a member)?
Not endorsed by any political party. Labor Party member.
LEON POMPEI
What suburb do you live in? I live in Mordialloc.
What is your occupation? My occupation is a small business owner in the marine industry.
What do you believe is the number 1 issue for council to tackle? Why?
The number one issue for Kingston City Council to tackle is “pulling in the reins” of further overdevelopment in the municipality. The local community is not supportive of excessive high raise and small block development that is eroding neighbourhood identities.
REBEKKA POWER
What suburb do you live in? Aspendale.
What is your occupation? Strategy Consultant for a super fund.
What do you believe is the number 1 issue for council to tackle? Why?
The number 1 issue for council is listening to what locals want – whether it’s a block of high rise apartments in their area that they’re opposed to, or their local sports ground needing an upgrade, or more kinder spots being needed, or better access to the beach for dog walkers – a democratically elected council should be behaving democratically and shaping our local area around what locals want. If I’m elected, that’s exactly what I’ll do on council – listen to the community and act accordingly.
Are you, or have you ever been, a member of a political party? If so, which party (and when if no longer a member)?
I don’t believe party politics is relevant to local government – everyone on council should be independent, because we should be listening to what locals want for our local area, not to what a party thinks we want or should have.
JUSTIN SCOTT
What suburb do you live in? I live in Chelsea Heights.
What is your occupation? I own my own IT Services Business – Social Interactions.
What do you believe is the number 1 issue for council to tackle? Why?
Balancing the need to fit more people in the boundaries of Kingston, while ensuring we maintain the current amenity we enjoy. Kingston needs to house its fair share of new residents, but we need to do so in a manner that respects our heritage and maintains the overall character of our suburbs.
Are you, or have you ever been, a member of a political party? If so, which party (and when if no longer a member)? Yes, currently a member of the Liberal Party.
TREVOR SHEWAN
What suburb do you live in? I live in Carrum.
What is your occupation? I am a training officer in Occupational Health and Safety.
What do you believe is the number 1 issue for council to tackle? Why?
I want to protect the Green Wedge, the environment, the Mordialloc Masonic Hall, the Mentone Hotel, the neighbourhood character of our residential streets and restrictions on overdevelopment.
I am concerned that decisions by councillors have undermined our local democracy. We need stronger planning controls to discourage overdevelopment and restore council’s policy of discouraging two storey in the backyard in incremental change areas, and I support restoring the two- storey height limit east of the railway line to protect our neighbourhood character from three and four-storey developments.
Are you, or have you ever been, a member of a political party? If so, which party (and when if no longer a member)? I am an independent candidate and I am not a member of a political party.
Candidates Georgina Oxley, Cameron Howe, Anthony Steven Davis, Con Geourgiou, Bob Halsall and Courtney Rowe did not respond to emailed questions.
This post was amended on 13 October to show Scott Lowther is running in North ward and not South ward as originally incorrectly stated.
1 Comment
Hmmmm….amazing to think that a training officer in Occupational Health & Safety candidate for council would support SKYRAIL/elevated rail with the significant health issues, both physical and mental, it brings to the community.