New blood in council

Anthony Radford | Bendigo Weekly | 26-Oct-2012 Election eve

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COUNTING: Greater Bendigo election returning officer Tony McDowell with some of the votes. Photo: ANDREW
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BENDIGO will have at least two new councillors tomorrow for the start of what has been billed as one of the most important council terms in the city’s history.

The retirement of councillors James Reade and Keith Reynard has left the vacancies, with James Williams one of the likely new councillors.

If preferences go as they are expected to, it is difficult to work out who else will be elected, assuming the current councillors do well.

Despite the result, mayor Alec Sandner agreed the coming four-year term was one of the most important in the city’s history.

“The last year of the new council will be when the hospital needs to be staffed,” he said.

“The challenge is to make sure Bendigo is a liveable city.

“We need to make sure we get the best possible staff for the hospital and other employers in town.”

Cr Sandner said over the next 20 years, Bendigo’s population was expected to grow by 40,000 people.

The challenge for this new council is to plan for this future growth,” he said.

“We started it this term, with the car park, the theatre, library and art gallery, but there are other challenges ahead.

“The airport and the Kangaroo Flat pool are the next on the list.”
Reader commented on 26-Oct-2012 08:14 AM5 out of 5 stars
Since when has this council been an employment agency cr Sandner.
If you get back in then maybe you should do what you were elected to do, not worry about other outside interests for the council. Then there might just be a job at the hospital for you.
David Lonsdale commented on 26-Oct-2012 11:25 AM5 out of 5 stars
Infrastructure funding is surely far more important than the Airport. When are Bendigo developers going to start paying their fair share via development contribution levies like they do in Melbourne, instead of hapless ratepayers forking out more and more. It is all very well for the Bendigo Weekly & Mr Erskine to opine about the need for more rezonings when developers are going to get a free ride from ratepayers who fund all the roads ,pipes & public infrastructure which go to their estate. Why not develop Elmore & Goornong where all the facilities already exist instead of Ravenswood ?

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