Bicycles and the end of preferences

I decided to write a short committment for Bicycle Victoria to let their members know what I stand for in terms of transport of the two-wheeled variety. Here is what I said:

"As a Greens candidate, it’s a fundamental part of my platform that people rely less on their cars and more on alternative means, including walking and riding their bicycles. As such, I would advocate for a Council-wide linkup of bicycle paths, more secure bike parking areas, the inclusion of bicycle lanes where possible and bicycle-friendly ramps around our famous Frankston foreshore. Every weekend, cyclists ride through our municipality on the Nepean Highway enjoying a casual ride or a serious race. Linking up a bike path with our municipal neighbours on the Mornington Peninsula would help with the safety of these cyclists. I would advocate for the implementation of a special lock-up “bike zone” at Frankston station, providing a safer and more secure area for residents to “Bike and Train” into the City for their daily commute. I will also commit more Council funding to school-aged education programs within the City so as to encourage more students to use their bikes to get to and from school or around Frankston."

Preferences closed today. In the interests of transparency, here are my preferences:

1. Jaymz Stevens (of course!)
2. Robert Thurley
3. Barry Priestley
4. Christine Richards
5. Alistair Wardle
6. Brian Cunial
7. Judy Wachendorfer
8. Henryk Kay
9. Wayne Woods
10. Suzette Trewhitt

My posters are out in the City today, so keep your eye out for them. You may have come across this blog because of them. If so, welcome and please feel free to leave a comment or an e-mail to let me know what you think of my campaign or issues you feel strongly about.

Meetings, preferences and some honest thoughts...

I have been meeting my fellow candidates daily for the last few days in order to understand the reasons behind their candidacy, the issues that we may differ on, and of course, to talk about preferences.

It is a long held belief by many in the community that Greens candidates always preference Labor candidates - that a vote for the Greens is essentially a vote for Labor. This is not true. It wasn't true in the last Federal Election and I can categorically state that I will not be preferencing any endorsed Labor candidates in these Local Government Elections.

I will be preferencing candidates which have similar beliefs and ideas as me. Candidates who are passionate about Frankston and changing the way the wider community (ie. the rest of Melbourne) views our beautiful City.

It also seems to be a belief held by some people in the community that Greens candidates are automatically against any big developments (such as the Marina) and other issues. For my thoughts on the marina, please see my blog post on it here. I am a candidate that takes everything on merit. If elected, I will measure up the pros and cons of every development and issue which requires my vote, taking advice and listening to opinions from those in the community that the issue or development may affect. It's important to me that Frankston is a terrific City for years and years to come. Will our children thank us for making these decisions? Will WE thank ourselves in the coming years for these decisions?

Everything requires thought and everything requires serious thought.

I will be attending the Friends of Frankston's Film Night tonight. It is being held at the Uniting Church, 18 High Street, Frankston at 7.30pm. The film being shown is David Bradbury's look at Council Elections in Byron Bay; "The Battle for Byron". Sounds like an interesting film and I look forward to meeting those who are attending.