Council elections are to be held the first week in September.
It is four years since the last election, and four years until the next one – so this is the time to take stock and vote for the candidates you want in office.
Interest is already building. I have already heard from several new candidates, eager to get their faces known and voices heard.
In 2008, there were 23 candidates – a Melbourne Cup Field, as the Tribune headline declared on August 15 that year. We wait with great interest to see who will put themselves forward this time around.
As in the past, the Tribune is planning major coverage of our local election. We will include profiles of each candidate, ask the curly questions you want to know about, and be there at the Meet the Candidates event (at a date to be fixed) to report on all the happenings.
Our goal is to give every voter in the Yass Valley as much information as possible to make an informed decision when they face the polling booth.
We have our pencils sharpened and are ready to ask the tough questions on your behalf.
We will be asking about development, rates, roads, the long-term future of our shire, business, water sustainability, and about preserving our heritage. If you other issues you think are also important, please call or email our office and let us know and we will do our best to get the candidate’s responses.
To kick things off, we will first be publishing profiles of our current councillors over the coming weeks. Each councillor has been sent a series of questions, asking them to – among other things – reflect on their term and tell us where they feel they have made a difference.
We’ve also asked if they are planning to run for election again.
So, if you want to be an informed voter on September 8, watch this space.