Country Labor party Murray candidate Alan Purtill has run political campaigns before, but this time it's personal.
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"They've really got up my nose, and that's one of the reasons I'm running," Mayor Purtill said.
He's referring to the NSW government ministers who stood him up the last time he visited Sydney.
Councillor Purtill was one of five mayors who traveled all the way to Sydney to implore politicians to do something about the Murray-Darling water crisis crippling their towns.
Not a single person from the government bothered to show up.
As the mayor of the drought-ravaged town of Balranald, Councillor Purtill was furious.
He said country people like him were sick and tired of being ignored by the government, which is why he's throwing his hat into the ring for the upcoming state election.
His main election platform will be shaking up the government's existing water policy, and he's hoping that's a message that will resonate with Griffith voters.
"Griffith is built around irrigation, and they desperately need more certainty when it comes to water," Councillor Purtill said.
"Another policy I'm pushing for is incentives; in Griffith they're also struggling to attract teachers, nurses, and police, so the government needs to provide proper incentives."
If elected as Member for Murray on March 23, he'll be hoping to be a loud voice in parliament to remind the Sydney politicians that life exists west of the Blue Mountains, and it needs water to live.
His predecessor Michael Kidd was Country Labor's candidate for the 2017 byelection, and he received mixed results.
Mr Kidd picked up the third-highest amount of votes, behind the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers and The Nationals on 9324 votes at the final count.
Mr Purtill knows that he has an uphill battle ahead of him if he wants to seize the throne from incumbent Austin Evans, but he's never been one to back down from a challenge.
"All you can do is try."
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Kenji Sato
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
