That's what he is hoping to bring to the table in his first council bid, running as the fifth candidate on the ticket headed by Mick Henderson - an outspoken critic against the council's management of Lake Albert.

Mr Falconer said he has known Mr Henderson for a "long, long time" and approached him directly about joining his council ticket.

"I've looked at it for a few years and I thought well, I don't know a lot about what goes on but the only way to find out is to get in and have a look," Mr Falconer said.

The 63-year-old has never been part of a political party and believes they shouldn't play a role in local government.

"If you've got another agenda there, even if it's political, you can't be dedicated to two things at once," he said, adding he held the same view towards property developers.

Like others on his ticket, one of the main issues Mr Falconer wants to address if elected is the management of Lake Albert.

He admitted to displaying a controversial 'Wagga Watergate' poster in his yard in early November and said "the only negative comment was that the sign's not big enough".

"There's a lot of unanswered questions there and you don't seem to get answers from the outside, so you've got to get inside and find out," Mr Falconer said.

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The council hopeful said there needs to be a long-term solution in keeping the lake full, with "a lot of comment over the years but not a lot of action".

"Ten years [from now] the lake will be dry again; what are we doing to do then, pray for rain again? We need to fix the problem permanently and then we can move onto something else," Mr Falconer said.

If elected he would also like to see "waste" addressed - not in terms of rubbish, but over-expenditure.

He pointed to Kooringal Road as an example of this, saying the budget for road refurbishments there - which has blown out by almost $1 million - would have been better directed to somewhere like Red Hill Road.

"Thousands of people cross that road, there's no refuge in the middle, there's no pedestrian crossing," Mr Falconer said.

Mr Falconer is originally from West Wyalong and made the move to Wagga in 2000. He and his wife Neroli initially planned to be here for six months, but they fell in love with the city and decided to make it their home.

They've both become involved in the community in a number of ways, most notably through the Black Dog Ride, which aims to raise awareness around depression and suicide prevention.

Mr Falconer has four daughters and one son, plus a "heap of grandkids", and said one of the biggest skills he can bring to council is his determination.

"I've been told I'm a bit like a dog with a bone; if I don't get an answer I'll keep going until I get an answer."

In the lead up to this year's election, The Daily Advertiser has profiled the candidates looking to secure a spot on Wagga City Council.

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