Seeking re-election at the polls for Edward River Council this Saturday, Mr Sampson said one shorter than normal term on council was simply not enough to see through all the great things council has been working on.
“I've really enjoyed the learning experience in my first term, learning how things work,” he said.
“If re-elected, I hope to finish the growth strategy off, see the other completed dwellings in the Senior Living Precinct occupied and the next stage potentially completed.
“I also want to advocate for more funding for projects to benefit the community via grants.
“One project I will be running with and endeavour to push is to at least develop a master plan for the Edward River Oval.
“My vision is a staged design to have a play area, dog area and even having a cafe/restaurant similar to what Albury has at Noreuil Park and The River Deck Cafe.
“And being born and raised on a farm, I will continue to ensure that the villages are not forgotten about in the decision making processes.”
Mr Sampson said he is excited by what the future of Edward River may look like with a change of representation in council chambers.
“I've decided to renominate after a lot of reflection about what was achieved over the shortened term of council, and feel like there is still more to achieve.
“Looking back at what was achieved during a challenging time, I cannot wait to see what can be achieved when the elected body can move beyond personal attacks and instead put the ERC community before personal vendettas.
“This type of pursuit helps no-one and has made the last three years extremely difficult.
“On reflection, as a council we have achieved so many great things for our community including completion of stage one of the seniors living development, which will upon completion provide 32 new homes to town and lead to some relief to what is still a tight property market.
“The sports ground lighting project was also completed and created the opportunity to host night time games while also providing a more visibility and therefore a safer area to train.
“We finished the upgrades to the runway, providing a stronger tarmac for planes to land, and there is potential to lengthen it if funding is found.
“We came close to completion of the growth strategy, providing a strategic direction forward for the growth of the area. Even though the statistics, using old ABS data taken during the COVID period, shows that the area is in decline, if you were to look at the town, the lack of rentals and housing stock, does indicate things have changed since the Census.”
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