Division 5 contenders in conversation
By Sonia Isaacs
With the Sunshine Coast Council Elections less than two months away, local residents are being encouraged to make an informed decision when choosing the best candidate for their respective divisions. With this is mind, Maleny Forums will be hosting a special ‘Meet the Candidates’ event for Division 5 at the Maleny Community Centre on Tuesday February 20.
Running from Conondale to Flaxton, out to Woombye and Glenview and then south to Mount Mellum and Crohamhurst, Division 5 traverses a large geographical area that includes Maleny, Montville, Palmwoods, and Mooloolah.
To date, the three registered candidates who have thrown their proverbial hats into the ring are the current sitting councillor Winston Johnston, Queensland Greens candidate Tracy Burton and Independent, Richard Bruinsma.
Kicking off at 6pm and facilitated by GC&M News’ managing editor Mitch Gaynor, the evening will provide a local platform for the three current candidates to introduce themselves, highlight their policies, and answer questions of relevance to the attending community.
One of the organisers, Susi Schoensleben said the event would provide the opportunity for residents to raise local issues directly with the prospective candidates and gauge their response first-hand. She said reading an article about a candidate or their response to an issue was once thing; but to get a real feel for who they were and what they stood for benefited immensely from a face to face meeting.
“This forum gives candidates a real opportunity for authentic community engagement and it can also allow residents to level the playing field by being able to see how each candidate responds to community questioning and assess their level of local knowledge and capacity to represent the electorate and champion local issues,” Ms. Schoensleben said.
Numerous ‘hot topics’ are already envisaged for the Q&A including housing affordability and accessibility, local facility management and queries around how candidates plan to retain the character of hinterland towns, local environment and community in the face of evolving regional challenges. This is a free event, and for more details see the Maleny Forums facebook page.
sonia@gcnews.com.au