The Minister recently wrote to all councillors affected by merger proposals telling them to justify why they should be chosen as an interim councillor or administrator in the lead up to the next election in September.
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It doesn’t affect councils like ours that are not merging, but it is an interesting question to ponder nevertheless - if each of our current councillors make their case to the Minister to keep their job, how many would pass muster?
Local government is no longer about just roads, rates and rubbish. Councils are large and complex organisations, both financially and operationally. They need councillors with the right skills, qualifications and experience to provide governance oversight, strong leadership, sustainable strategy, effective policy and advocacy to higher levels of government.
In my fantasy world, councillors must also be willing to make tough decisions based on the long term interests of their community and not be distracted by political ambition, personal popularity, self-promotion or an obsession with media exposure.
Just my humble opinion, but based on these criteria and my experience of working closely with this council, I would only give the nod to four of the current nine, or perhaps five if it isn’t a full moon.
Bring on the election.