As the Griffith City Council byelection approaches, The Area News chats with the candidates to see what makes them tick.
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Name: Allan Bennett
Age: 64
Family: Married to Denise for 44 years, with three daughters, Melissa, Renae and Anita, and five grandchildren.
What do you do for a living? Self-employed. Proprietor of (AD Tours )
How long have you lived in Griffith? My wife was born here and 40 years ago we decided to move here for six months, I really couldn’t image living anywhere else.
What is the best part about living in Griffith? It’s hard to pick a single reason, but I guess it’s the multiculturalism. Because we have so many cultures and they have all come to Griffith with a strong work ethic and a will do attitude, which has made our city such a vibrant place. I haven’t come across this anywhere else.
Why are you running for Council? I have already served the community on Council for 13 years and enjoyed the challenges, having been off council now for six years I feel that I am refreshed and would like to represent the community once again.
How would you assess the performance of the current Council? Overall I guess Council has done a good job but as always there are areas that I feel need to have a stronger focus so that we can continue to grow and overcome some of the challenges we are about to face. So I believe if you are not in it you can’t criticise.
If elected what would you lobby for? At a local level, roads are a high priority also our CBD is somewhat tired looking, we need a 50 metre outdoor shaded pool and a solution to the problems with Lake Wyangan needs to be found. At a State level pressure needs to be maintained regarding the Base Hospital funding promise to ensure it doesn’t get lost in “the promise box.” Federally the biggest threat to us is the Murray-Darling Basin Plan debacle that continues to pander to South Australia.
What is the best way Council can help businesses prosper in the City? I believe that tourism is a key to our cities growth, so a greater emphasis on promoting Griffith and surrounds as more tourists mean more demand for goods and services which then leads to more jobs and more development. Tourism isn’t reliant on water to grow. I do not believe in financial incentives from ratepayer funds to entice business development as it has proven to be a recipe for failure in the past, an astute business person will choose a site to establish on it’s own merits.
Are there any major projects that you would champion if elected? I am not trying to get elected on a single platform rather I would like to progress a lot of the projects that the community feels are important.
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