Wake up Joondalup - The Manifesto

Did you know, just 27% of eligible voters bothered to vote in Joondalup’s recent Local Government Election? In an earlier post I touched on why I didn’t recontest this time. But why ‘Wake up Joondalup?’

Because that’s exactly what I want my fellow ratepayers to do! I urge you to PAY ATTENTION to the decisions your Local Government is making. Because they profoundly affect you. And typically, not for the better. It’s time to hold power to account.

Over the last four years, I have seen up close the decisions that are being made on your behalf. And in my opinion the City operates like a bad idea factory, pumping out terrible decisions.

When I ran for election, I thought the problem was just the rezoning, density concerns – fix that and we’d be back on track. But then I was elected to Council and found to my dismay that this was just one of a seemingly endless stream of really bad ideas and decisions. And while the new Director of Planning is doing his best to try and fix the HOA issue, it’s the tip of the iceberg.

Though I didn’t vote for these ideas while on Council, the majority did. Or alternatively, they voted against ideas that undeniably would have been in your interests, time and again. It felt impossible to drive change. And the most frustrating part of being a Councillor was that - not only could I not stop the bad ideas - I couldn’t even speak out against them, without being in breach of the Local Government Act.

So now? Well, I can say exactly what I think of all those decisions. And that’s what ‘Wake up Joondalup’ will do. I hope that if you see the level of waste and scale of the poor decision making, that you will demand better. Perhaps you will vote in people with the intelligence, integrity and work ethic to represent the community’s best interest and hey, maybe even put your hand up to run yourself.

So this page really isn’t for those of you who know just how terrible things are. It’s for those who numbered their ballot 1,2,3,4 this time without knowing who they were voting for. It’s for the 73% who didn’t vote at all! So if, like me, you want to live in a more awakened electorate, please like and share this page and its posts with your family, friends and community Facebook groups. Remember, knowledge is power.

And finally, yes, I’ve intentionally turned off comments on these posts. I have no interest in arguing with those who disagree with me. If you don’t like my opinions, scroll by or unfollow. If you want to bring something to my attention PM me. Otherwise, just follow, like and share, and learn more about the decisions being made on your behalf and with YOUR MONEY.

What’s in it for me? I ran as a Councillor and continue to fight for Joondalup, because at this stage, I believe Joondalup is still a fantastic place to live with ENORMOUS potential. However, with the decisions coming down the line over the next few years, there’s a risk that the potential will be squandered. That’s why I need you to Wake up Joondalup! Because I am a resident and ratepayer too and I need your help to make sure Joondalup reaches its true potential.