Maroondah Journal: Experience needed

The Maroondah Journal this week included a letter from Carol Hunter on behalf of the Maroondah Residents and Ratepayers Association in regard to my decision to nominate for the position of Mayor.

The letter is included below:

IT has been suggested in the Journal (November 13) that a younger person should be mayor.
While the opinions of young people should be heard and considered, they lack the life skills and experience to properly appreciate and understand the needs of a community whose ages range up to more than 100.
Also, it requires someone whose interest and comments are not apparently limited to the issue of public transport, which is a state government, not a council responsibility.
While councils can and should present the community’s concerns to all levels of government it is more effective for the council as a whole to do so, not individual councillors.

Carol Hunter
Maroondah Residents and Ratepayers Association

While the Maroondah Residents and Ratepayers Association refused to specifically name me within the letter, it is clear that as Maroondah’s youngest councillor and someone who is passionate about sustainability, that I am the target of these ill informed comments.

While public transport advocacy is an issue that I have and will continue to be involved in, it is incorrect to assert that this is my only interest. Representatives of the Maroondah Residents and Ratepayers Association, including Carol Hunter, attend council meetings and would have heard me speak about a diverse range of topics through my delegates’ reports and in regard to council motions.

As an example, I spoke about the following as part of my delegates’ report tabled at the council meeting held on the 19th of November:

• Enjoying Planned Retirement’s Art and Craft Exhibition
• October’s Eastern Transport Coalition Meeting
• Maroondah’s Forum for People with Disability and Carers
• Meeting with Eastland Centre Management to discuss accessibility and sustainability issues
• October’s Melbourne 2030 Councillor Reference Group meeting
• EV’s FReeZA program
• Campaign Enable

I will be writing a letter to the editor to challenge these remarks and the denigration of younger people within our community.