Former Cardinia Shire mayor Keith Ewenson is among a number of previous councillors standing again this year.By Paul Dunlop
HISTORY never repeats?
It’s an adage that a host of candidates in Cardinia Shire Council elections are hoping to prove wrong.
One of the major preelection talking points since the closure of nominations last week has been the large number of candidates with previous council experience.
Of the 23 candidates, seven are sitting councillors and six others have served on council before, either during the former Berwick, Sherbrooke or Pakenham shire days, or more recently as part of Cardinia.
Mayor Garry Runge and councillors Helen Ward, Kate Lempriere, Doug Hamilton, Bill Ronald, Leonora Cox, and Graeme Legge are all standing again.
Their challengers include former mayors Keith Ewenson, Ted Owen and Ian Farrell, while Bill Pearson, Carla Gates and David Nickell have also spent time ‘on the inside’.
Of course, being a past councillor is no guarantee of success, with voters this year having a choice of one of the widest fields of candidates in recent times.
Firsttime candidates tend to promote their ‘fresh approach’ as a strength, while incumbents request voters to maintain the status quo.
Former councillors who spoke to the Gazette about their decision to stand again said their experiences certainly helped them know what to expect if they were successful.
Mr Pearson laughed off suggestions that he must be a ‘glutton for punishment’, standing again about 15 years after serving a term on the old Pakenham council.
“My wife is furious with me,” Mr Pearson said.
“But seriously, it is certainly something that you definitely do not go into lightly. It can be stressful. It is a big commitment.
“I think people stand because they want to make a difference in their community.”
Mr Owen, who like Mr Pearson is standing in Bunyip Ward, was a councillor for 30 years until he was defeated at the last election.
He and Mr Ewenson served together for many years at a time when local government in Victoria went through a period of major change, most notably during the amalgamations of the mid 1990s.
Mr Ewenson said he believed the number of former councillors standing again highlighted that people were concerned.
“If I’d been totally happy with the way things were I wouldn’t have worried,” he said.
“Whether the voters want change, we’ll have to wait and see.”
Mr Farrell is another with a long record of service, having spent 10 years with the shires of Berwick and Pakenham and serving as mayor on both.
Mr Farrell said he believed experience could be very valuable at a time of change.
He said he had always been interested in local politics and, with more time on his hands after retiring recently, was looking to do something on behalf of the community.
“Once you’ve been there I think you do get a bit of an urge to put your hand up again,” Mr Farrell said.
>>> The Gazette will publish statements from all of the candidates in Cardinia and Casey during the build up to the elections.
