Candidates standing for the nine councillor positions at the 8 September 2012 Clarence Valley Local Government Election are being rated on their individual campaigns to win over voters.
The score range is -10 to 10. Every candidate starts at zero (0)
Scoring began in the week ending 10 August 2012.
In this final week of the election campaign it’s all about how competent the candidates appear.
The week commenced with the Yamba District Chamber of Commerce meet the candidates forum, the last one before polling day.
Name Designation Running Score
Rod Morrison Independent 1 This candidate’s score remains static as he returns this week to the only matter he really understands – flooding at Brushgrove. While his good intentions are not doubted, his abilities are.
Margot Scott Independent 2.5 Margot’s score also remains the same as again she added little to the election debate this week which would convince that she has the knowledge and experience to be an effective shire councillor.
Paul Parkinson -10 If there was a way to mark this candidate down further than the maximum minus he now sits on one would be tempted to take it. His performance at the Yamba Meet the Candidates forum was a low point in the election campaign – more here. And yes, he is still claiming three terms as a Kempsey Shire councillor equals 14 years and not the 12 attributed to him by that very same council.
Craig Howe Independent 1 + 1 = 2 Craig’s score goes up a point on the basis of his commitment to local youth and the fact that he at least has experience in local government.
Andrew Baker Independent -10 This candidate cannot possibly score any lower as he continues to run what is essentially a pro-unfettered development agenda. His attempts to downplay his own poor business management skills as he promises to reform Clarence Valley Council management (in a way which obviously benefits his business interests) inspires little confidence. As does the fact that last Monday night he was telling voters that Council did not consider economic implications when making decisions, but by Thursday was saying that councillors were provided with "economic assessments" before making decisions.
Ursula Tunks Independent 3.5 + 0.2 = 3.7 This candidate again inches forward on the back of the fact that she at least understood the role of the general manager (0.2), but remains a worrisome wild card.
Joy de Roos 2 Joy marks time at the end of this final week as she added nothing to what she had said before.
Jim Simmons Independent 2 + 1 + 1 =4 Jim doubled his score because he admitted to the reality of Council budget constraints (1) and confessed that it had dropped the ball when it tore down the Yamba skate park and rebuilt it to a new design without any community consultation (1).
Greg Clancy Independent 8.5 + 1 = 9.5 This candidate increased his score again this week for pointing out the real benefits of not expanding the Port of Yamba. It was noticeable that the marine business owner at the Yamba forum openly agreed with him.
Jane Beeby Independent -4 + -4 + -2= -10 Jane is of the opinion that it is not her job to tell voters what she can do for [insert name of town] and happily told Yamba residents exactly that last Monday night (-4). Her continual behind the scenes complaints about legitimate community debate in local newspapers earns her further demerits points (-2).
Sue Hughes Independent 7.5 + 1 = 8.5 Her score increases as she was brave enough to insist that money raised by the sale of council’s community assets should be spent in the area which had lost the use and enjoyment of a particular asset (1).
Karen Toms 8.5 + -1 = 7.5 Karen lost a point due to her open support for the idea that a reduction in the wages and working conditions of small business employees would benefit the community (-1). Although local government has no direct influence on such matters, councillors' opinions often affect the tone in small business employer-employee relations and such remarks are not helpful.
Michael McIvor Independent 1 This candidate gains no new points as he fails to impress on any front. One cannot help wondering if his support of any ‘buy local’ policy is predicated on a vague hope that his own business would benefit in some way.
Jeremy Challacombe Independent -5 + -1 + -3 = -9 Jeremy manages a minus bonanza this week by failing to realise that the Island Trader no longer operates out of the Lower Clarence River (-1) and for his rather strange belief that Yaegl representatives might need to sit cross legged in the sand before they could discuss Dirrungun at the mouth of the Clarence River (-3).
Richie Williamson 3.5 + 0.5 = 4 Richie’s score crept up a notch due to the fact that he appeared to recognise that different areas within the Valley have different strengths and needs. The fact that as the most recent mayor his score is remains so low is due to his spotty past voting record.
Margaret McKenna Independent -10 Margaret did nothing to redeem herself this week as her passive-aggressive attitude to the Lower Clarence remained a feature of her utterances on the campaign trail. However, she did provide a moment of wry amusement as she strongly pressed her locally born and bred background to a room full of voters who had predominantly retired into the area from elsewhere in New South Wales.
Jason Kingsley Independent 1 This candidate remains something of an enigma and failed to make any real impression over the course of the election campaign.
Conclusion:
This local government election campaign has been one which has seen the business community set the debate agenda and therefore its needs have been a dominant preoccupation of the political discourse.
It was also a campaign which highlighted how ill-prepared many of the new candidates are for the office they seek, how bereft of original ideas the majority are, how little some of them know about the Clarence Valley and how proudly they wear this ignorance.
Disappointingly the uncritical approach by local media continues when reporting on local government elections. So even though this year the campaign coverage has been the most extensive in recent memory, it did little more than supply all candidates with a form of free advertising.
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