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Transcript

Katie Woolf spoke with candidate for Litchfield Council Mayor Mark Sidey · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We are going to head to our next candidate. Mark
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: saidy good morning to you.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Mark.
• 0:05
  Speaker 3: Good akatie.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: How you going very well? Are you ready to get
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: into it?
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Mate?
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  Speaker 3: Absolutely all right?
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Why or what job were you in before you decided
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: to put your hand up for this election?
• 0:18
  Speaker 3: Okay? At the moment, I currently have my own business
• 0:20
  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
• 0:26
  Speaker 3: they get what they're entitled to. I've also spent about
• 0:30
  Speaker 3: ten years working for local government in the areas of
• 0:33
  Speaker 3: human resources, governments and workholp on safety. I've worked as
• 0:36
  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
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: a council in relation to provision of services, accessibility and accountability,
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: and I also know what needs to be done to
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  Speaker 3: deliver on these expectations.
• 0:51
  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.
• 1:00
  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
• 1:09
  Speaker 3: and opportunities it brings, and.
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: Why did you decide to put your hand up for
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: the mayor role.
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: I am really unhappy about the huge rate rises, both
• 1:21
  Speaker 3: in the current budget and the long term financial plan
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: for percent over five years are doubling and ten. It's
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: not fair and it's not required. I'm also worried about
• 1:31
  Speaker 3: the lack of accountability and transparency. The banning of questions
• 1:35
  Speaker 3: from the floor at council meetings is unacceptable and needs
• 1:38
  Speaker 3: to be reversed. I realize that there is a half
• 1:41
  Speaker 3: hour meet and great opportunity before council meetings, but this
• 1:44
  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.
• 1:50
  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
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: and unfair huge rate rises and also ensuring our rural
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: community remains rural. I don't want to see urbanization. I
• 2:09
  Speaker 3: also want Counselor to live within its means and get
• 2:12
  Speaker 3: back to the basics, the roads, the rubbish and the
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: recreation reserves. I want counsel to be more transparent and accountable.
• 2:19
  Speaker 3: In addition, weeds management, especially gamber grass is an other
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  Speaker 3: very very important issue.
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: And why do you, I guess, taking all of those
• 2:28
  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.
• 2:37
  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
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: services at the lowest possible cost, which will minimize future
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: rate increases. In relation to advocacy, used to work and
• 3:00
  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.
• 3:11
  Speaker 3: In relation to weeds management, Council needs to work more
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: closely with the NTG and Bushfires nt At the moment,
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: council officers don't even have any enforcement powers. We need
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: to fix this so that Council can assist more proactively
• 3:25
  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.
• 3:40
  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
• 4:00
  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
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: into the future beyond that.
• 4:22
  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
• 4:32
  Speaker 3: all had three minutes to state our case, and I
• 4:36
  Speaker 3: try to stick to those.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: Oh that's all right, we gave you all. We gave
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: you all a little bit longer. Just in case, Mark,
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  Speaker 1: thank you mate.
• 4:45
  Speaker 3: And that's greatly appreciated.
• 4:47
  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