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| Councils get new blood |
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THE local government elections have been and gone and for the Eastern Shore’s largest council, Clarence City Council, there were some surprise results. In Sorell, there were two new faces and a close contest for the mayoral position Incumbent, Clarence deputy Mayor Martin McManus was beaten for the position by fellow long- standing alderman, Doug Chipman. Current Mayor Jock Campbell, who was also elected to the job two years ago, retained the position despite a bid by Bellerive candidate and former councillor and Clarence alderman, Peter Cooper. Mayor Campbell comfortably regained the mayoral position with in excess of 70 per cent of the vote compared to Mr Cooper’s 29 per cent of the vote. Two sitting aldermen lost their seats, David Eddington of Richmond and Beverley Evans of Lenah Valley. Peter Cooper was however elected to Council as an alderman and joins other newcomers on council, Sharyn von Bertouch of South Arm, who stood as the Greens’ candidate, and Don Cusik of Geilston Bay.  Peter Cooper He had formerly served on the Clarence Council for six years as a councillor from 1986 to 1988 and then from 1988 to 1992 as an alderman when Clarence became a city. Ald Cooper has been a successful businessman for 28 years and now owns and drives a taxi based on the Eastern Shore. He spends more than 40 hours a week on the roads in Clarence and has seen the growth of subdivisions providing thousands of new blocks, more residents and more cars. “Our traffic situation is a nightmare and it is going to get worse so we need to address the capability of the Hobart bridge to handle traffic now. “How regularly is the bridge checked for safety above and below the waterline? Line marking on our roads is non-existent in many areas, roundabouts and approaches to highways are dangerous because of trees and scrubs obscuring vision.” Ald Cooper said he would be focusing on this as a priority in his time on council. New alderman Don Cusik said he would be working hard to build a better community for residents.  Don Cusik “As a long-term resident of Clarence and an accredited builder, I know the importance of good building practices, and improving local infrastructure, supporting the community and its facilities, developing sporting and other programs for young people, and improving services for all Clarence residents. “I know the importance of improving services and giving ratepayers value for money, listening to and taking action on ratepayer concerns and eliminating unnecessary red tape so as to attract residents and business to the Eastern Shore. He said he would also be working for balanced environmental planning policies and practices in contrast to unrestricted development and speeding up and streamlining the planning and building application and approval processes. Sharyn von Bertouch, who works for Tasmania Police as an education advisor, has also worked in local and state governments, and has qualifications in law and education.  Sharyn von Bertouch Married with grown up sons, she has been an active participant in community groups. As a new alderman she said would promote energy efficient housing incentives, enhanced public transport options, affordable housing access and protection of coastlines and ensure the planning scheme reflects sustainability while balancing building in the natural environment Ald von Bertouch said she would work to ensure ‘fair’ development processes that are reasonable, open and consistent, and fight the State Government’s take over of sewerage and water infrastructure. In Sorell, Carmel Torenius was returned as Mayor gaining 51 per cent of the vote in a close tussle for the position, with Mike Purdon who had 48 per cent. Current deputy Mayor Graeme Evans was elected unopposed. Two new councillors were elected in the municipality, Judy Young and Brett McDonald.  Judy Young Judy Young has lived at Dunalley for 40 years and says she is passionate about local issues. Married with four adult children and several grandchildren, some of whom live locally, Judy has came from a rural background with a long history working with small businesses. Cr Young is currently helping run two family enterprises at Dunalley and at the same time is working as volunteer with many community groups. She has pledged to make the community safer, ensure council planning meets the needs of residents and businesses, preserve the heritage and natural beauty of our environment, promote and encourage new ventures particularly those benefiting local youths and make the community more attractive for tourists After many years in the municipality Cr Young said she believe she had a wealth of knowledge about the needs of residents and was confident she would be a worthy representative. As a resident of Sorell for the past 23 years and a business owner/operator of the Sorell Tyre Centre Brett McDonald said he understood the problems the area was facing.  Brett McDonald Involved with local community sporting groups and cultural events Cr McDonald said he believed there was a lack of community consultation for the improvement of the local area including major infrastructure encompassing roads, footpaths, wastewater and sewerage. “Council, its members and its employees should be accountable to the local community,” he said. “There is an increasing burden on costs being met by ratepayers for basic rights. There are also increasing problems in the building, planning and plumbing approval processes that council undertakes. “I believe I can ensure that our local community is heard and the changes are made which will ensure the council is committed to working for the local community and building a municipality where there is fair and equitable decision making,” he said.
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