That’s the view of Shirlee Burge who, after a shorter than normal first term on Edward River Council, is seeking re-election this Saturday.
Mrs Burge said there is no hiding the fact that this past term was “tumultuous and dysfunctional”, and advocates that all councillors should take some responsibility for their role in that.
But because of those challenges, she feels she did not accomplish all the things she wanted to as a councillor.
If given another chance by the community, she says she would like to be part of the group driving council and the community forward.
“It is in the past, and now we all need to focus on a new and successful future - it is available, we just need to tap into it with unity and purpose.
“I have chosen to discuss the past because that is how the future corrects itself, and those that acknowledge what went wrong will be those who lead a stronger team into the future.
“Some of the new prospective councillors are bemoaning the past and insist they will not make the same mistakes, but history shows us that is not the case.
“We all know history repeats, but it is how you have learned to handle the repeat that makes the difference.
“A councillor should never lose sight of their main purpose, to serve the community, and must never be afraid to respectfully challenge what they feel is wrong. To remain silent or to acquiesce is to deny the community fair representation.”
Mrs Burge said some of the aims of her candidates coming into the election are commendable, and while health, housing, business, agriculture and tourism improvements will always be championed and influenced by the council, she said councillors should not lose sight of council’s “core business of rates, roads and rubbish”.
“We are advocates and guardians of our community, and we all want a better community with better services, but there are differing avenues for those services to be acquired.
“We could work with political parties, for example, and welcoming them to this area. That is something that was sorely lacking in this last term.
“The reason most councils get into financial difficulty is by venturing into areas they are not adept at dealing with, or have no business dealing with.
“As we have seen with the Edward River Village, when you step outside your designated field, all hell can break loose.
“I want ERC to succeed and be a place people want to come to holiday and to live, and to ensure that the council needs to focus on its core principles and provide better sewer treatment, better and safer water supplies, and better roads and infrastructure.
“It means we will attract more people and with that should come more varied and improved services.”
Mrs Burge also feels council could better support the villages with regular maintenance and upkeep, and wants to advocate for holding council meetings on a rotational basis in the villages.
She believes it would provide better access to those residents, and encourage them to be involved.
Mrs Burge said she is buoyed by the number of candidates, and the broad range of experiences and expertise they offer, as well as the progress at council since a change in leadership.
“No matter what the configuration of councillors, I believe it will be highly successful as it will be supported by the experience of interim CEO Gary Arnold and his team who, I can honestly say, have settled after the turmoil of March and are now kicking goals.
“We have an amazing workforce in all areas and as a municipality, we should be proud of them all.”
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