Election Issue

This month’s edition was going to be about the local council elections that were happening next month. Since it has now been put back to December 4th, this focus will now happen in November.

Many people are as surprised as I was by the number of candidates throwing their hats in the ring. It is a very strong field as well and we should all appreciate these civic-minded people willing to do their bit for the community. As we all know it is lowly paid and councillors get a lot flack.

As an avid council watcher for over 30 years, this one will not be boring or bland. It is encouraging to see such a strong turnout of potential candidates. I find that truly inspiring and yet another sign of the deep and passionate connection most of us have to this place.

I encourage everyone to get more involved, or at least understand the major issues. I believe Byron Shire can no longer just coast along with business a usual attitude. We are experiencing unprecedented changes and these must be understood, managed with a clear vision of where we want to be in five or ten years.

I am a supporter of the Mark Swivel Team.  Mark will make a good mayor, Meredith Wray is a keen and knowledgeable candidate. And if the cards fall well, number 3 on the ticket, lawyer-turned-farmer, Venetia Scott, would make a terrific prime minister.

You can get more information on the MST website. I also encourage all my readers who live in or love Byron to also go to the donate page and help us get the word out.