INTEGRITY, honesty and greater community consultation are what Rina Mercuri will fight to reinstate if voted in to council at next month’s election.
Mrs Mercuri said she was going to wait another term before standing, but council’s controversial decision to sell off the Railway Street land had forced her hand.
“I always thought that to make a good councillor you have to be intelligent and well-informed, but obviously not,” she said.
“When I heard the Railway Street (land) was sold, steam started coming out of my ears.
“There was not enough community consultation with the rate payers and the community
about it. When issues like this are going to affect the community, council should be talking to them about it.
“I rallied to stop it, but I got nowhere.”
Mrs Mercuri said the decision to sell the block had disillusioned her and she wanted to see change in those representing her and the community.
“We need to bring back integrity and we need to be honest. If you don’t have that, you’ve got nothing,” she said.
“If it was me, I’d be walking the street asking people – that’s how you run a business, you find out the need and offer it, if you don‘t know what the people want how are you going to provide it?”
Mrs Mercuri is a part-time masseuse and runs a cement-rendering business with her husband and said she would bring a wealth of experience, not just as a business owner, but also as a mother, grandmother and resident of Griffith for 37 years.
“When I came to Griffith, the people won me over and I’m here to stay,” she said.
“I’m really passionate about the town and have been thinking about running for council for the past eight years. I would like to see council become more proactive and do more in the town.”
On the top of Mrs Mercuri’s agenda, is securing the future of the region’s water; getting more transport services to town to help both residents and the tourism industry; bring more tertiary education services to the town to keep young people in the city and providing more support to Griffith’s retailers.
Mrs Mercuri is running on a ticket with Dino Zappacosta, but said she valued independence in councillors and would make decisions that were in the best interests of the community.
