The fight that “brought the community together” in Kiama appears to be over.
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Kiama municipality residents utilised various means to vocalise opposition to the proposed merger with Shoalhaven council.
They hosted concerts, protested at a statewide rally in Hyde Park and formed a giant human ‘no’.
More than 130 groups and individuals make presentations to the government-appointed delegate opposing the merger.
Kiama council also ran a plebiscite on the state government’s proposal, at an estimated cost of $120,000, with more than 95 per cent of those who took part voting against the planned merger.
Following Thursday’s announcement of the abandoning of the Kiama-Shoalhaven merger, Kiama Deputy Mayor Warren Steel said the widespread opposition to amalgamation had “brought the community together”.
“The thing that saved us was the community – our people came out of the woodwork,” Cr Steel said.
Kiama Mayor Brian Petschler was “delighted the hard work the community put in and the strong council case has been accepted”.
“It’s been a distraction. We’ve proven we are ‘Fit For The Future’ and can stand alone.
“I look forward to the council continuing indefinitely into the future, and continuing the work we have been doing since 1859.”
Cr Petschler believed the community would be “excited to see their strong opposition has registered in Sydney”.
“It shows democracy can work, if the community is of such a mind,” he said.
The mayor also thanked the efforts of the volunteer-run ‘Keep Kiama Council Local’ committee.
However, Cr Petschler was saddened by the prospect of northern neighbours Shellharbour and Wollongong amalgamating.
“I think the four regional councils working together have achieved a lot of good things,” he said.
“It was working well… This will change the dynamics.
“I hope we will be able to continue to develop the regional links we’ve been working on, and provide local government leadership for the region.”