I attended an information session for candidates run by the NSW Electoral Commission, the Electoral Funding Authority and the Department of Local Government. It was interesting and informative and clearly set out the obligations if one intends to stand for election to Council.
There was one thing that worried me and it occurred after the presentations when I was talking to a person who will stand as part of a group for a sitting Councillor. The person had no understanding of what it meant to vote above or below the line. I know there are no qualifications required to be a Councillor but it is surely a concern if a potential candidate has no idea of the voting system used at the election.
There will be many more complex issues arising when and if one sits on Council and all Councillors need to be able to think and act independently and not passively accept what is told to them by the CEO or other Council staff. I am certainly not suggesting that what they tell Councillors is incorrect at all times but Councillors are not just passengers. They are there to think and question. Why have elected Councillors otherwise?
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