By Paul Dunlop
THE countdown has begun to Cardinia Shire Council elections amidst forecasts that this campaign could be the hottest ever.
Nominations open for the elections on Thursday, 20 October and a host of candidates are expected to stand.
Most, if not all, of the seven sitting councillors are expected to seek reelection with mayor Garry Runge and councillors Graeme Legge, Doug Hamilton, Kate Lempriere and Bill Ronald already declaring their intentions to run again.
Cr Leonora Cox said yesterday she had not yet decided whether to stand while Cr Helen Ward has also said she was still weighing up her options.
Several prominent people in the community are also expected to throw their hats into the ring.
Pakenham resident David Drinkwater is a keen candidate, telling the Gazette he would be among the first to put his name down when nominations opened.
Brett Owen, son of former councillor Ted Owen, also confirmed his intention to stand.
Mr Drinkwater said he was concerned about issues such as overdevelopment and a lack of recreation space and facilities for people moving into the fast growing shire.
“You can’t just sit back and criticise, you have to either put up or shut up,” Mr Drinkwater said.
“I’m not going to shut up, so I guess I have to put up.”
Councillors have been at pains to highlight the achievements of the past three years, pointing at Monday night’s council meeting to initiatives such as the Connecting Cardinia 50 kilometre road sealing program, the new aquatic centre at Pakenham, the library at Emerald, traffic lights at Brunt Road, Officer, and other major capital works.
Council detractors have questioned Cardinia’s debt levels and its stance on controversial issues such as the proposed transformation of Pakenham golf course into a housing and parkland development.
The Cardinia Ratepayers and Residents Association has been a strident critic in the past few months prompting several observers to note that this campaign could be much more aggressive than previous contests.
Mr Drinkwater said it was going to be interesting to see how many people stood for election.
He said he believed everybody had the best interests of Cardinia at heart but expected it to be a hardfought campaign.
The Victorian Electoral Commission was due to hold an information session for potential candidates last night.
Nomination forms and a $250 fee must be lodged with at the VEC office set up in the Beaconsfield Community Centre by 4pm on Tuesday, 25 October.
CRRA president Gloria O’Connor said the association would be holding a meet the candidates forum on 4 November.
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