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Speaker 1: We are going to head to our next candidate. Mark

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Speaker 1: saidy good morning to you.

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Speaker 2: Mark.

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Speaker 3: Good akatie.

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Speaker 2: How you going very well? Are you ready to get

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Speaker 2: into it?

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Speaker 1: Mate?

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Speaker 3: Absolutely all right?

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Speaker 1: Why or what job were you in before you decided

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Speaker 1: to put your hand up for this election?

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Speaker 3: Okay? At the moment, I currently have my own business

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Speaker 3: working as a loss adjuster. What this means is that

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Speaker 3: I help people with their insurance claims to make sure

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Speaker 3: they get what they're entitled to. I've also spent about

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Speaker 3: ten years working for local government in the areas of

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Speaker 3: human resources, governments and workholp on safety. I've worked as

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Speaker 3: a council Chief Executive officer and also as a council

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Speaker 3: Community Services manager, so I know what people expect of

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Speaker 3: a council in relation to provision of services, accessibility and accountability,

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Speaker 3: and I also know what needs to be done to

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Speaker 3: deliver on these expectations.

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Speaker 1: And how long have you lived in the Litchfield Municipality.

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Speaker 3: I first visited the Litchfield Municipality back in twenty eleven.

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Speaker 3: I've lived here since twenty sixteen and my wife has

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Speaker 3: owned a property here for over twenty two years. I

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Speaker 3: love the rural lifestyle and all the challenges and opportunities

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Speaker 3: and opportunities it brings, and.

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Speaker 2: Why did you decide to put your hand up for

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Speaker 2: the mayor role.

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Speaker 3: I am really unhappy about the huge rate rises, both

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Speaker 3: in the current budget and the long term financial plan

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Speaker 3: for percent over five years are doubling and ten. It's

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Speaker 3: not fair and it's not required. I'm also worried about

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Speaker 3: the lack of accountability and transparency. The banning of questions

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Speaker 3: from the floor at council meetings is unacceptable and needs

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Speaker 3: to be reversed. I realize that there is a half

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Speaker 3: hour meet and great opportunity before council meetings, but this

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Speaker 3: is no replacement for issues being able to be raised

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Speaker 3: from the floor during a minuted meeting.

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Speaker 1: Now what do you see as being I guess some

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Speaker 1: of the biggest issues in the Litchfield municipality.

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Speaker 3: Firstly, so the big issues in Lichfield are the unnecessary

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Speaker 3: and unfair huge rate rises and also ensuring our rural

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Speaker 3: community remains rural. I don't want to see urbanization. I

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Speaker 3: also want Counselor to live within its means and get

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Speaker 3: back to the basics, the roads, the rubbish and the

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Speaker 3: recreation reserves. I want counsel to be more transparent and accountable.

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Speaker 3: In addition, weeds management, especially gamber grass is an other

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Speaker 3: very very important issue.

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Speaker 1: And why do you, I guess, taking all of those

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Speaker 1: things into account, why do you see yourself or why

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Speaker 1: do you feel that you're the best place to work

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Speaker 1: with the community to try and fix those issues.

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Speaker 3: Well, I suppose, first of all, I'm a very consultative person.

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Speaker 3: I'm a very very good listener. So in relation to finances,

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Speaker 3: I this very solid background and financial management, and we've

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Speaker 3: work to ensure Counsel gets back to providing the core

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Speaker 3: services at the lowest possible cost, which will minimize future

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Speaker 3: rate increases. In relation to advocacy, used to work and

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Speaker 3: with elected representatives of all political persuasions and of liaise

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Speaker 3: extensively with the MTG and federal government to achieve positive outcomes.

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Speaker 3: In relation to weeds management, Council needs to work more

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Speaker 3: closely with the NTG and Bushfires nt At the moment,

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Speaker 3: council officers don't even have any enforcement powers. We need

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Speaker 3: to fix this so that Council can assist more proactively

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Speaker 3: in gamba eradication. Council also needs to get their gamba

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Speaker 3: management plan out there in the public arena and make

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Speaker 3: sure that they that they comply with their requirements in

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Speaker 3: relation to council own land.

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Speaker 2: And just finally, Mark, why should people vote for you?

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Speaker 3: Well, I will lead counsel in a new direction. I

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Speaker 3: will get council back to basics, focusing on basic service

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Speaker 3: provision at the lowest possible costs, which will minimize our

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Speaker 3: future rates increases. I have a passion for the Lichfield

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Speaker 3: community and I have significant experience working for local government

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Speaker 3: sector in seeing management positions. I'm personable, I'm articulate, and

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Speaker 3: I would be a really, really powerful advocate for the

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Speaker 3: people of Lichfield. I can also commit to serving a

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Speaker 3: full four year term, and I intend to remain a

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Speaker 3: resident of Litchfield not only for those four years, but

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Speaker 3: into the future beyond that.

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Speaker 2: Mark, you've got a tiny bit of time left. Anything

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Speaker 2: else you'd like to say quickly?

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Speaker 3: Not particularly, I mean, you made it very clear. We

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Speaker 3: all had three minutes to state our case, and I

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Speaker 3: try to stick to those.

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Speaker 1: Oh that's all right, we gave you all. We gave

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Speaker 1: you all a little bit longer. Just in case, Mark,

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Speaker 1: thank you mate.

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Speaker 3: And that's greatly appreciated.

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Speaker 1: No, worries Mark Side there, who is one of the

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Speaker 1: candidates who has put their hand up for the Litchfield

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Speaker 1: Council mayor