The Daily Advertiser continues its series of questions and answers with council candidates.
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Jenni Campbell made front page news when she sensationally claimed she was boycotting the council election because there were no women with realistic prospects, but back flipped after a flood of females put their hands up in response.
Ms Campbell rounds out the Wagga Women’s Alliance as the fifth candidate and does not expect to be elected, but is “ready to commit time and energy to be a bloody good councillor” in the statistically unlikely event she attracts enough votes.
Greens candidate Michael Bayles, who invented SunRice’s 90-second microwavable brown rice, is passionate about social justice.
The retiree does not want to be elected and is only running so the Greens have enough numbers to form a ticket and qualify for a box above the line on the ballot paper – a popular tactic in the Wagga council election.
Jenni Campbell
What do you make of the common argument councillors should be elected on merit, not gender?
Women have merit and therefore it should be the norm to see women and men equally represented.
There’s a majority of women candidates but we won't see a majority of women on council, because they're not in electable positions.
I would criticise all male councillors for not putting their profile behind a woman in number one spot on their tickets.
Perhaps there aren’t as many women on council because there aren’t as many female property developers, so they won’t get a return on investment if they spend tens of thousands of dollars on advertising to get elected.
Should council privatise or radically overhaul the Oasis Aquatic Centre?
If we were losing $1 million per year and people are loving the pool then that would be $1m well spent, but that's not the case and we need to improve cost effectiveness.
The feedback we're hearing is cleanliness and hygiene is not good enough, costs for admission were hiked up recently and families who pay $130 for swimming lessons have to pay a further $2 to take their children in and watch the lessons.
Griffith has great activities at their pool but we never have events here because the community doesn't feel they own the resource and so they’ve turned their backs to it.
Are council candidates overpromising?
I detest the “tell me your dreams and we'll sell them for votes approach” but I also detest the notion council is just about roads, rates and rubbish.
Are you a dummy candidate, running purely to form a ticket and secure your lead candidate Andreia Schineanu more votes?
I am running on a ticket so other women have the best chance of getting elected to council.
As smart, sensible women, we've used the best strategy the electoral system can offer us.
What are the biggest issues Wagga faces?
A major issue is the state of recreational facilities, we've seen council make appalling decisions over the past few terms – like Douglas Aerospace – and facilities do not meet public expectations as a result.
For example, Equex does not provide for spectators, parking is appalling and we're not an attractive proposition for big events, which could bring major dollars to our economy.
Another major issues is around jobs and growth; apprenticeships and traineeships are on the decline for young people even though we have a low unemployment rate.
Council should continue to prioritise Bomen and the Riverina Intermodal Freight and Logistics (RIFL) Hub.
Michael Bayles
Should Wagga accept more refugees?
Wagga looks like redneck community on the outside, but we are diverse and have a good reputation of welcoming people into our community.
A true Australian accepts refugees and does not stand against them.
I wouldn't advocate open slather but we need to steadily increase our in take.
State and federal elections show Greens represent a small percentage of our community, do they deserve one of nine spots on council?
To say we shouldn't have Greens representation is to stereotype Wagga as purely conservative, but there's a lot of people out there who think along Greens lines.
It's about choice and offering an balance, which is all part of good governance.
What experience do you have to bring to council?
I've been in the workforce as a food technologist for 30-odd years. Since I retired and moved to Wagga from Leeton four years ago, I have been working in mental health.
I am very interested in council affairs and local government.
Is it fair to label you a dummy candidate, given you're running so Kevin Poynter gets a better position on the ballot with no genuine intention of being elected yourself?
I'm supporting Kevin and my number one aim is to ensure he gets elected.
I don't have enough time to be on council, but I support Kevin's policies.
It would be a shame for him to lose his seat, a shame to lose his ideas; he challenges the status quo.
What are the biggest issues Wagga faces?
Good governance with a balance between things like better roads and a good tip, as well as public art.
Some people say public art is a waste of money but it gives our city diversity; if we had no public art it would be a bloody boring old place.
Another big issue is the levee bank and making sure people in the CBD and North Wagga will be protected when the next flood comes.
Ideally the North Wagga levee would be much higher.
And we need to make sure we have safe communities through recreational activities that embrace different groups.
If you have marginalised communities without anything for them to do, you'll find petty crime will start.