Interpreting election results and community message:
The results show that the electorate was really paying attention, researching the candidates and most making decisions before they reached the booths.
They chose councillors with relevant skills and experience who will work hard for the whole community. This new council is a great balance of skills, experience and new blood.
Reflections on the campaign and fairness:
I would have made the decision to run and get organised much earlier. I was always playing catch up with things like my campaign materials throughout February, when I would have liked to be attending more community events. But I’m happy that I did my best with the time I had and focussed in the right areas, which let me gather support and momentum.
I think it’s largely been fair and there was good camaraderie at the booths between candidates and volunteers. It wasn’t just about ‘winning’ as 7 of us would end up being a team.
The additional 3rd party lobby group brought in some behaviour that was unfair and undemocratic, as they monopolised voters and spread misinformation. It’s hard to know how much of an impact that had on the results.
First priorities as councillor and goals for the term:
I made several commitments in my campaign, and the first priorities will be to apply my financial skills to ensure we deliver a responsible budget, and get the STA issues under control. We will all need to work together as a team to set our direction and priorities.
Additional comments:
I’d really like to see a complete overhaul of the way we run elections – shorter pre poll, less intrusive presence at the booths (e.g one person per candidate, available for voters to approach with questions only), no corflutes, minimal paper! A neutral, centralised area where voters can access information, both online before the election day and one flyer for each candidate inside the booths. Having this information standardised would make it a fairer, level playing field for all candidates as it reduces the cost to run, and less confusing for voters.
