Mayoral Minutes

When I was elected Mayor just over a year ago, I'd said my number one focus was to improve communications - with Councillors, the media, and the public. I worked hard to achieve this and the numbers tell a story. Over the Mayoral term I officially met with 456 people on an individual basis – and unofficially met and spoke with hundreds more. That included 148 meetings with Councillors and other civic leaders; 104 meetings with media outlets and 204 meetings with members of the public. Read More...

It is good to be writing the Mayoral column again after a short hiatus. In the afternoon of Tuesday, 21 August I received a Circular from the Division of Local Government that went to all Councils in NSW. It advised that Councils should consider publishing the Mayoral column as a generic Council column, which seemed reasonable. From that date I stopped writing the column. It is amazing how many good things occur in Dubbo in just a few short weeks but I am glad to be back writing the column today. Read More...

It seems to me that the busiest people in Dubbo are our retired residents! I had the pleasure last week of speaking at the monthly meetings of the Men’s Probus Club and the Independent Retirees. In speaking with some of these more experienced members of our community, it struck me that being retired is a full-time job! Many are volunteers for Council or give their time on various committees and organisations. In addition, they have to attend their service club meetings and then occasionally see their grandkids. The life of a retired person in Dubbo certainly seems full and rewarding. Read More...

When the new LEP was approved on 11 November last year, the prediction was that Dubbo would experience additional growth as a direct result. The evidence to support this is now irrefutable, with an increase in the number and value of development applications Council is determining. We are also seeing large-scale investment opportunities with the likes of the recently approved Riviera Project. Last week we were also host to representatives from Kmart and JB Hi-Fi, who are both interested in being in our City. After spending more than two-and-a-half hours with the representatives, which included a tour of the City to point out a range of possibilities, it was obvious that both are keen to be in Dubbo. It will only be a matter of time before they come to a commercial arrangement with a developer and set up in our City. With Harris Farm in Dubbo recently (meeting with developers not Council), and ALDI meeting with Council this week, Dubbo is certainly on the landscape for major organisations. Read More...

I sat down for a coffee with an acquaintance recently. Inevitably, the conversation came around to my role as Mayor and an offhand comment was made: “It is a pity you aren’t a property developer because being the Mayor you could make some zoning changes and make a few easy dollars”. I was astounded. This was an intelligent person whom I assumed had reasonable life experience. Yet to have such little understanding of the role of a Councillor and general processes of probity and transparency simply stunned me. The conversation started me thinking of the power that perception plays in our community. Read More...

On 18 August 2005, Linton Besser wrote a story for the Daily Liberal explaining that I was committed to pushing Council to use hybrid vehicles. The hybrid concept was very new at the time (I had only just purchased one the previous year for my business), the environment wasn’t given the same level of importance at the time and petrol prices were certainly cheaper than today so I lost that argument. Read More...