With the news of Wagga MP Daryl Maguire resigning from the Liberal Party yesterday, residents spoke with The Daily Advertiser today about their thoughts on the matter.
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Mr Maguire resigned after secret phone recordings of him discussing potential developer “dividends” were played at an anti-corruption inquiry in Sydney on Friday.
He will remain in state parliament as an independent member.
Turvey Park resident Kaitlin Roesler, 21, said Mr Maguire should step down completely as the state representative of Wagga.
“He’s broken people’s trust. As he’s still representing Wagga as an independent member, what he’s done would still impact the region,” Ms Roesler said.
Asked about a by-election, Ms Roesler said that she would be okay with that.
“It’d give some others a chance to step up and make changes,” she said.
Similarly, 29-year-old Cory Selby from Bourkelands questioned the tenability of Mr Maguire’s position.
“I believe it [the outcome of ICAC hearing] does impact our region.
“If he were interested in getting financial gains from property developments, why did he stay in politics instead of just leaving?
“We need someone to be a leader for Wagga,” Mr Selby said.
However, 41-year-old Joshua Turner said that Mr Maguire should not yet step down because the ICAC investigations have not been completed.
“I don’t think he should resign as our member – there’s more to come out of the investigations,” he said.
Mr Turner, a Kooringal resident, said people needed to remember the positive results he had achieved for Wagga.
“The good things he’s done outweigh the negatives – people can lose sight of what’s achieved,” he said.
Meanwhile, Duncan Cordell, who’s visiting from Sydney, said he was unsure about whether Mr Maguire should resign as member.
“Whether he goes or not should be based on the views of his constituencies and their ethical beliefs of what he’s done,” Mr Cordell said.
The 45-year-old said: “If they view that his actions don’t represent Wagga, then he should step down”.
“Any person in political authority needs trust with the people they represent,” he said.
Lou Hewson, 56, from Tolland said that while she had some sympathy for Mr Maguire, it was his decisions that resulted in his current situation.
“He’s in a bad place at the moment, but he should’ve been using his position to do good for the place.
“He was trying to cut a deal – it was dishonest and disloyal,” she said.
Ms Hewson concluded that Mr Maguire should have been “more selfless”.