Blayney councillor David Kingham has confirmed that he won't be running for council in the September local government elections, and at this point he's the only that isn't.
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The remaining councillors, Scott Ferguson, Allan Ewin, David Somervaille, Bruce Reynolds, John Newstead and Scott Denton will have to recontest their seats and all of them have indicated that currently they'll be doing just that.
With a special candidate information session to be held in the Blayney Shire Community Centre on Thursday June 10, Cr Kingham has a clear idea on what sort of person is best suited for the role of councillor.
"There is a genuine need for the democratic representation of ratepayers to guide council in the direction it needs to head," he said.
"They have to have a real interest in the sporting side of things because there is a lot of money coming into Blayney from state and federal government for those projects.
"They also have to focus on infrastructure projects such as bridges and roads."
Cr Kingham sings the praises of the council administrators, stating that it's very well run, but council needs to take direction from the councillors.
"You have to have people who are intensely interested in the direction of the council and the entire community," he said.
Blayney mayor Scott Ferguson said that this Thursday's meeting would act as a perfect entry point for anyone thinking of a life in local government.
"There are many qualities that people need to have if they're considering becoming a councillor," he said.
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"You need to enjoy interacting with the community in good and bad situations, you need the confidence to speak in public, chair committees and the ability to learn because there is a lot to learn, particularly in the first six to 12 months."
Cr Ferguson has been on council for over 21 years and said that being able to work as part of a team is also an important trait to have, as is having a determination to better the community.
"It does take up quite a bit of time and effort, a lot of reading and looking into various issues, but in the end it's really worth it because you get to see these great projects be developed," he said.
The Candidate Information Session is being run by Jenny Dowell.
This will be held in the Blayney Shire Community Centre from 5.30pm to 8.30pm on Thursday 10 June 2021.
A light supper will be provided.
For catering purposes please RSVP to council@blayney.nsw.gov.au
Mark Logan
Started working in newspapers in the 1990's in the darkroom of the Pastoral Times in Deniliquin before moving to Millthorpe in 2003. Soon after arriving I started as a photographer at the CWD. Now a journalist at the Blayney Chronicle.
Started working in newspapers in the 1990's in the darkroom of the Pastoral Times in Deniliquin before moving to Millthorpe in 2003. Soon after arriving I started as a photographer at the CWD. Now a journalist at the Blayney Chronicle.
