I am running for Mayor with ‘Our Sustainable Future’ which is a Northern Rivers based local government only micro party - we are balanced, independent and progressive.

I am a committed and passionate advocate for Lismore and our villages and as the next Mayor of Lismore, I will deliver the right balance of vision, pragmatism and experience to make our community an even better place than it already is.

For the last five years on Council I have proven my dedication to our community, which was clearly demonstrated in my voluntary efforts leading the community recovery from the 2017 floods as the manager of ‘Lismore Helping Hands’. Since then I have been a strong advocate for community resilience and disaster preparedness.

I am deeply committed to economic and environmental sustainability; social justice; and good governance. I have led the Council's focus on climate resilience; consistently worked towards financial sustainability; and consistently supported and advocated for small business and sustainable development. 

Prior to being elected to Council, I was a key leader in protecting our region from industrial gas fields, working for more than five years on the campaign to make the Northern Rivers Gasfield Free - including organising two of the biggest rallies ever seen in the Northern Rivers.

I have strong communication and relationship skills and I have consistently taken leadership roles throughout my professional and community life. I am well respected with strong networks throughout Lismore and our villages, which I first developed during the fifteen years I spent working for Lismore’s signature event, the internationally renowned Lismore Lantern Parade.

I am enthusiastic, determined, and focused on delivering positive outcomes for our community as the next Mayor of Lismore. I am absolutely committed to working together with the new Council and with our whole community to build a sustainable future we can all be proud of.

You can read more about our policies on our website at www.oursustainablefuture.org.au.

Why did you decide to stand for Mayor of the Lismore LGA?

I love this community deeply. I have spent at least twenty years grounded in this community, celebrating, protecting and promoting the values and the qualities that make Lismore and the Northern Rivers unique. I have actively worked to protect and enhance our community well being and our environment and I am deeply passionate about making Lismore an even better place to live than it is already.

I am also acutely aware of the challenges that lie ahead for our community, with escalating impacts of climate change, increasing natural disasters, and real challenges of housing affordability, water security, and waste management to address. We need inclusive, collaborative leadership that is focused on community well being.

I have the right balance of experience and passion required to lead a new Council with many new faces following the upcoming election. I have the skills, the dedication and the commitment to be the next Mayor of Lismore and I am looking forward to working in partnership with our community to build a future we can all be proud of.

What is your vision for Lismore over the next 3 years?

My vision for our community is to build our image and reputation as a dynamic, creative, innovative regional City. To build our community resilience and connectivity so that we are well-positioned to withstand the shocks and challenges that are coming with climate change.

Council needs to work in partnership with housing providers and other levels of government to urgently address housing affordability and availability, the situation is getting more and more urgent. I have a vision of moving Lismore Council towards long term financial sustainability so that we have a strong organisation that will effectively serve our community into the future.

I will work to make the heart of our City and our CBD a thriving centre with a unique character that builds on our reputation as a regional centre that embraces excellence in arts and culture. I want to see sustainable economic development and innovative, successful businesses including our important agribusinesses. I want to leverage our sporting facilities to promote Lismore as a sporting centre and I will progress and support community events both as economic drivers for our recovery and as important community gatherings to improve community well being.

What are your objectives in being the Mayor ?

I am balanced, independent and progressive. I have been in leadership roles my whole professional life, I am an inclusive and collaborative leader. I will prioritise working in partnership with the community, with other levels of government, with not for profits and with the private sector for the benefit of our whole community. I want to focus on organisational efficiencies and improvements and to support our staff who are already doing critically important work in this space. And, I want to focus on improving our roads and addressing our infrastructure backlog.

What was your motivation to become a councillor?

I see the role of Councillor, and Mayor primarily as one of service. Serving the community and representing our many and diverse viewpoints, to find balance and work towards outcomes for our whole community. Council is the level of government that is closest to the people, and the well being of my community is my primary motivation.

Now that I have gained the critical experience that a brand new Councillor cannot bring I will leverage my knowledge and understanding of local government to represent our whole community. I am balanced, independent and progressive and that’s what I bring to Council. As the only Gen X Mayoral candidate I have a long career ahead of me and I bring an important perspective that is in line with our demographics.

How does Lismore become a vibrant, prosperous city?

We need to support sustainable economic development and innovation. Promote and nurture our businesses who are the economic engine room of our community. We need to promote and support our Villages. We need to leverage the Northern Rivers ‘brand’ this is an amazing place to live. We have an influx of new residents who can see exactly how great this place is and we need to provide facilities and experiences that will enhance our quality of life and our community identity. We need to embrace the Rail Trail as an economic attractor.

Do you hold any concerns for the region that have not been addressed?

I’ve said it before but I will say it again - the escalating impacts of climate change are our biggest challenge. It will impact every part of our lives, our economy, our housing, our roads, our environment and our social fabric. We must focus on building bridges and working together to achieve resilience across the organisation, within our business community, within the broader community and for our most vulnerable community members. Everything we do should be considered with a resilience lens.

We must plan carefully and work together to achieve sustainable and resilient outcomes that enhance our community connectivity. We can do this by supporting our business community, by focusing on affordable housing, by prioritising climate resilience strategies and by focusing on water security. Roads and infrastructure and Financial sustainability.