At Wednesday night's Lismore City Council 'Candidates Information Session', there were no surprises in the turnout. All were candidates from Labor and The Greens plus Independent John Jenkins.

When you mention John Jenkins's name around town, the reaction is generally, "Who is he"?

With six weeks to go until the 2024 Local Council Elections, the Lismore App caught up with John to answer the question.

John grew up in Sydney before his love of horticulture took him to regional NSW.

"I've moved around a bit through my academic career and also my previous career," John began, "I started out leaving school and working in landscaping and nurseries for about 15 years. During that time, I also studied horticulture, economics and geography."

"In the late '80s, I moved from Sydney up to Armidale and started a little business, the Armidale Gardening Service. I did minors and PhD up there and got a PhD scholarship in geography. I've always loved geography and economics."

John worked in landscaping until his early 30s when osteoarthritis in his knees meant a change in direction.

"One of the reasons I had to get out of it was because of my footy. I played rugby in Sydney. I played with clubs like Parramatta and Eastwood, no big-time deals or anything, but I injured my knees pretty badly. So, I was finding by the time I was in my early 30s I was in a fair bit of trouble. I could not continue that kind of job."

"I love mental stimulation. I was studying almost the whole time anyway, part-time. I did my thesis in Armidale. And so, early 30s, I decided I'd chase a job in academia. I joined a university in central Queensland for about 18 months in '92, I think. Then took a job in Canberra for about four or five years, and then moved to Newcastle for about ten years and then to here.

"I've been here since mid-2007. I took on a professorial job at the uni, in a head of school position and then I transitioned from senior management into governance. I chaired the academic board and was a member of the University Council."

"Since that time, which was about 2011, I also did the company directors course, AICD (Australian Institute of Company Directors), and I finished up as Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic. I left in 2018 and joined the private sector. So, I sit on boards of private independent higher education providers in Australia. There's about 140 of those. I sit on four currently and I chair academic boards within those providers."

John continued his interest in rugby, taking on coaching jobs from the early 1990s. Locally, he has coached Southern Cross University, both men and women, Far North Coast Rugby Union, Lismore Rugby Club, Wollongbar and the Marist Brothers Rams.

Why did you nominate to be the Mayor of Lismore and to be a Lismore City Councillor?

"I thought about it at the 2021 elections, but I didn't think I was adequately prepared. And I also coached footy for many years, so I'd been coaching rugby teams since about 1990 with a couple of years off here and there. I still thought I'd do that, and there's no way in the world you can do everything you want to do. Coaching a footy side, if you're the head coach, that's 20 hours a week. People don't realise just how much time goes into it."

"I'm done with footy. And, I always I like to make a contribution to my community in some way. I used to work at the Soup Kitchen for about three or four years. I want to make a contribution to the community where I feel that I can appropriately utilise my skills."

"I have no agenda. I'm not making any promises about anything in regard to actual decisions, but I have certain, I guess, personal attributes."

"I can listen, I can work hard, I can represent the council, I can provide leadership. I've got a good knowledge of working systems of governance. I understand the importance of the relationship between a mayor, the councillors, the general manager, the council staff and also the community. And, I recognise the importance of diversity. Everything I do, you know, involves diverse individuals in diverse circumstances."

"I'd like to see the council become a place where people feel welcome, that there's open discussion and debate. And, decisions are made on the basis of the evidence that's presented."

When the question of council's history was put to John, he replied that he doesn't want to reflect on the past.

"I don't see much benefit or usefulness in doing that. I just feel that I can provide leadership in improved ways."

Like Councillor Big Rob, John Jenkins is standing as a sole Independent, even if that means it lowers his chances of getting elected on September 14.

"I have to confess the notion of these groups that have been built in order to get elected is problematic. I understand the difficulties of even being elected as a councillor if you just stand as an individual. I am not putting money into a campaign. I'm not investing in advertising resources. If people want to know about me, they can find out a lot about me online."

"I believe, over my career, I've demonstrated integrity and an ability to make good decisions, to communicate effectively, and to work hard.

Now you know a little about John Jenkins. John is standing for Mayor and Councillor as an Independent at the September 14 Local Council Elections.

The latest people to register as candidates for the upcoming elections are Steve Krieg (Mayor and Councillor), Andrew Bing, Andrew Gordon, Jeri Hall and Electra Jensen.

In 2021, Steve Krieg had 14 people on his ticket, so one can only assume there will be more nominations when the Krieg Team launch their campaign.