Labor’s team for the upcoming Wollongong City Council poll has pledged to “hit the ground running” if elected to office.
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On Tuesday, Labor unveiled its team to contest the September 9 Wollongong City Council election.
The team will be led by lord mayoral candidate, councillor David Brown.
Labor’s team includes current councillors Brown, Janice Kershaw, Chris Connor and Ann Martin, and former councillor Vicky King.
“Our team has an average of more than four years’ experience as councillors, which is critical because the election is for only a three-year term,” Cr Brown said.
“We plan to hit the ground running if elected to office.”
Their team in Ward 1 (northern suburbs) is Cr Kershaw, Jenelle Rimmer, Richard Martin and Ivor Fabok.
Contesting Ward 2 (central suburbs) is Cr David Brown, Tania Brown, Alexandria Costello and Daniel White.
In Ward 3 (southern suburbs) Labor’s ticket is Vicky King, Cr Connor, Cr Martin and Julian Miller.
Labor’s team will campaign on issues such as no rate rise above the CPI, creating local jobs, affordable housing and more resources to the suburbs.
“I think we can do some significant work on the affordable housing policy; that’s achievable in the time we’ve got there,” Cr Brown, a former deputy lord mayor, said.
“One of the roles of council is obviously marketing the city, and lobbying for the city.
“That’s certainly something I’ll be doing if elected lord mayor, is knocking down the doors of state and federal to make sure there are good projects in the city that create jobs.
“I will be a very different lord mayor from what we’ve seen in the past. I’ve seen the past five lord mayors at close quarters and l think I’ve learnt something from all of them. Sometimes that might be what not to do in the role, but I certainly will not be a ribbon cutter… I’m much more of a policy person, and I’ll be driving policy and outcomes.”
Mrs Brown, the University of Wollongong’s SMART Infrastructure Facility chief operating officer and Destination Wollongong’s chair, is running for the first time.
“I’ve volunteered on many community committees over the years, so I’ve always worked for Wollongong,” she said.
“I decided now it’s time to put my hand up and be a bit more proactive about that.”
Ms Rimmer is a senior electorate officer in Keira MP Ryan Park’s office.
“I think that the suburbs have been left behind, so we need to be out there working a little harder, reinvigorating and offering new ideas,” she said.
Labor also announced a policy pledge of doubling council’s footpath spend for the next financial year.
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