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Speaker 1: We are continuing our discussions with the mayor. All hopefuls

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Speaker 1: for the Darwin Council, so our Darwin Lord Mayor and

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Speaker 1: joining us. Next on the line is Sam Weston. Good

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Speaker 1: morning to you, Sam.

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Speaker 2: Good morning, Katie, Good morning everyone listening now?

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Speaker 1: Sam, are you ready? You've got six minutes and a

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Speaker 1: series of questions to get through. You're ready to get started?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, the pressure is off.

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Speaker 1: Oh, let's do it all right, Sam? Why have you

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Speaker 1: decided to put your hand up to be the mayor?

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Speaker 2: Wow? Because I've been on council for two years now

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Speaker 2: and I've watched the Lord Mayor position and I've actually

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Speaker 2: thought to myself, I'm ready to do that. I think

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Speaker 2: that the things I've done within the community over the

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Speaker 2: past six seven years, I think I'm ready to take

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Speaker 2: that next stage on the council with that little bit

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Speaker 2: of experience that I've got. I actually listened to the

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Speaker 2: people and a lot of the people are telling me

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Speaker 2: it's time for a new Lord mayor. I also think

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Speaker 2: the Lord mayor position really needs to be from a

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Speaker 2: non political position. I'm running an independent, so I really

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Speaker 2: want to have someone that's not that's there purely about

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Speaker 2: the community. One someone that works with the community and

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Speaker 2: yet and I think I'm ready for that next stage

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Speaker 2: in my life within the Darlin community.

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Speaker 1: Sam. In terms of qualifications and work experience, what qualifications

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Speaker 1: and work experience do you have would you think make

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Speaker 1: you best placed for the position.

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Speaker 2: Well, I'm going to bring up my time in the

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Speaker 2: army where I was a soldier and I was deployed

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Speaker 2: as a United Nations peacekeeper. I know the qualifications aren't great,

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Speaker 2: but the life experience is nothing you know I'll ever

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Speaker 2: be able to put on paper. I've run a small

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Speaker 2: business in Darwen for the past eight years and that's

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Speaker 2: probably the hardest job on the planet, surviving COVID, surviving

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Speaker 2: outs and downs of Darwin small business. I've I'm just

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Speaker 2: in the middle of doing my country Director's course, so

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Speaker 2: I thought i'd better get some type of qualification with

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Speaker 2: my experience on council and I guess I've been a

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Speaker 2: councilor for two years and I have a good understanding

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Speaker 2: of how half the system works.

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Speaker 1: Now, what do you see as being the most important

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Speaker 1: issues in Darwin.

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Speaker 2: One of the most important issues for me is that

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Speaker 2: communication with the community. Again, I know people are going

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Speaker 2: to think that's not much, but I think there needs

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Speaker 2: to be that really open honor is transparent between when

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Speaker 2: we make a decision or when we do things that

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Speaker 2: the people that is going to affect completely understand what

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Speaker 2: we're doing and why we're doing it. You know, even

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Speaker 2: coming on your show as the Lord now, I think

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Speaker 2: it's very important that we communicate what we're doing in

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Speaker 2: a correct and transparent way. So that's believe it all.

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Speaker 2: That's my number one priority is the communication. The other

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Speaker 2: ones I've got to look at is the footpaths. And

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Speaker 2: i know people hate this one, Katie, but I've had

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Speaker 2: people from Dinah Beach for two years now tell me

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Speaker 2: that they can't ride their bike or push their praym

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Speaker 2: into the city from Dinah Beach, and I know you're

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Speaker 2: aware of this as well. Footpaths and accessibility has to

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Speaker 2: be our priority on council, even if it don't get

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Speaker 2: it as a little mayor, the council needs to address

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Speaker 2: people being able to ride into the city. So I've

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Speaker 2: got footpaths with one of my higher ones. The other one,

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Speaker 2: which I'm it's going to cause controversy, is we need

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Speaker 2: to remove Saturday parking. I'm proposing two hours of free

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Speaker 2: parking on a Saturday morning. This has been a problem

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Speaker 2: with the community in a small business for the past two

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Speaker 2: years now, and I think it's something we need to change.

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Speaker 2: And when I get on councilor if I get on council,

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Speaker 2: one of the first motions will be to give people

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Speaker 2: free parking again in the city.

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Speaker 1: Now, what are your top three commitments? I know you

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Speaker 1: just sort of mentioned one there, but what are your

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Speaker 1: top three commitments.

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Speaker 2: I really like to and I put emotion a few

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Speaker 2: months ago to look at revamping the mall. I go

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Speaker 2: for a walk in the mall every day when I

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Speaker 2: finish the cafe, and it really does need something done

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Speaker 2: to it. I would like to work with the MTG

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Speaker 2: and get the money and in the next couple of years,

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Speaker 2: you know, when the boats come in, all the people

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Speaker 2: hang around that mall and it really is overdue a

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Speaker 2: nice little clean up. So one of my things will

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Speaker 2: be to make sure the mall looks good. And obviously,

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Speaker 2: I know everyone's saying this about trees, and I think

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Speaker 2: we're all legit. I think every candidate wants more trees,

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Speaker 2: and I know this comes down to budget, but I

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Speaker 2: really need to put more trees. I walked up Rothsmith

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Speaker 2: Avenue the other day, letter boxing that whole street needs

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Speaker 2: to have more shade than trees. So I know it's

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Speaker 2: a cop out, but I really like all the counselors

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Speaker 2: want to have more shade around our owen areas.

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Speaker 1: You've got about two minutes leaft now, Sam, I want

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Speaker 1: to ask, are you a member of a political party

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Speaker 1: or have you ever been?

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Speaker 2: Katie? I have never in forty six years of ah

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Speaker 2: ben with a political party. I've never signed a political party.

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Speaker 2: All the people go around saying that I am. If

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Speaker 2: anyone has proof that I'm a political party person, I'll

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Speaker 2: stand down tomorrow. I have nothing to do with political parties,

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Speaker 2: and that is why I'm running, Katie. I feel that

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Speaker 2: our council should have less political interference than what it

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Speaker 2: possibly could have.

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Speaker 1: Now, tell me in terms of preferences, have you decided

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Speaker 1: where those preferences are going to go?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so I've put the political when you see my

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Speaker 2: preferences which are out, I've put the people that are

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Speaker 2: ex politicians lower because I think it's time for a

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Speaker 2: fresh new who start. We need people that have that

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Speaker 2: haven't already had to go. And you can see my

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Speaker 2: top six people I've put in there are all people

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Speaker 2: that I think about the community, that I have seen

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Speaker 2: around the community. So even if I don't get on,

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Speaker 2: and I'm saying this to your listeners now, even if

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Speaker 2: you don't vote for me, which is fine, please vote

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Speaker 2: for someone that you know is all about the community.

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Speaker 2: Because that's what I want, is my Lord Mayor. Even

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Speaker 2: if I don't get on as a counselor or as

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Speaker 2: a small business owner, I want a Lord Mayor that

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Speaker 2: is completely about the community.

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Speaker 1: Now, you've got about forty seconds left. Why should people

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Speaker 1: vote for you?

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Speaker 2: Oh? Because you know I've done so much in this

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Speaker 2: community for the past six years. You know, I've got

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Speaker 2: a cafe that opens up the doors to the veterans,

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Speaker 2: you know, vulnerbal people in the community. I'm always doing

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Speaker 2: barbecues and walks for different charities and events. You know,

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Speaker 2: I think I've shared the Darwin that I'm here for

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Speaker 2: the people and I want to I want to take

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Speaker 2: that to the next level now and prove myself as

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Speaker 2: the future Lord Mayor of Darwen.

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Speaker 1: Well, Sam Wiston, you've finished with fifteen seconds to go, mate,

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Speaker 1: good to catch up with you this morning. Thank you

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Speaker 1: so much for joining us and well letting people know

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Speaker 1: why they should vote for you. Thanks mate, thank you,