By Cam Lucadou-Wells
RIVER GUM WARD
Likewise this week, voters in Doveton, Eumemmerring, Hallam, Hampton Park and Lynbrook will be receiving ballot papers for the 2016 Casey Council elections.
Just seven of the 15 candidates for the River Gum Ward responded to Star News’s survey, most within a 24-hour deadline.
Some contenders have also proposed quite a few original projects and rates-saving measures.
Survey respondents: Pravin Ramdany, Wayne Smith, Lynette Keleher, Damien Rosario, Reuben Humphries, Robert Sacco, Aladin Rexhepi (7.5 hours late), John Gulzari
No reply: Gamini Fonseka, Elizabeth-Rose Skaliaris, Anne-Maree Wise, Ian Spencer, Malik Atif Mahmood, Nagaraj Nayak, Robert Flanigan
PRAVIN RAMDANY
What ward/municipality do you live in: River Gum
Political party membership: None
Place of Worship: Faith Christian Church
Campaign sponsors and donors: None
Campaign cost/budget: $$$$
Top three projects you’ll achieve on council: Infrastructure to support our growing city; Increasing business and employment opportunities; Youth outreach programs to prevent youth crime and violence; Strong voice for integrity and transparency.
Three ways to make council budget savings: Delivering quality services in new and innovative ways; Draw inspiration from best practice in the private and public sector in terms of efficiency and productivity; 50 per cent of its expenses come from procurement and materials. Council should look at saving in this area.
Your view on half-mast Casey flag: I support mayor Sam Aziz in this matter.
Law-and-order solutions: More police for City of Casey.
WAYNE SMITH
(preferences Spencer, Rosario)
What ward/municipality do you live in: River Gum
Political party membership: ALP – but not an endorsed ALP candidate
Place of Worship: N/A but a supporter of the right of ALL faiths
Campaign sponsors and donors: Public fund-raising event (plus my personal contribution)
Campaign cost/budget: $5000-$6000 approximately
Top three projects you’ll achieve on council: Completion of ‘Bunjil Place’ and ensure that it becomes the most visited/used facility in Casey; Community safety; Responsible budgets to keep up with the growth of our city.
Three ways to make council budget savings: Ensure that State and Federal governments cease pushing services/programs back on to council; Seeking a fair share of outside funding to support much-needed infrastructure; Live within ‘rate-cap’ levels.
Your view on half-mast Casey flag: A drastic way to bring to attention the distress/fear in our city.
Law-and-order solutions: Lobby for more police numbers and police presence throughout Casey; Support for ‘Neighbourhood Watch’ and similar community programs; Youth programs/services.
LYNETTE KELEHER
What ward/municipality do you live in: River Gum
Political party membership: None
Place of Worship: N/A
Campaign sponsors and donors: Friends and family. Fund-raised at my birthday party in place of gifts. Small amount in my Gofundme account. Campaign cost/budget: Approximately $1820 that I fund-raised.
Top three projects you’ll achieve on council: Upgrade netball courts and new clubrooms at Hampton Park Football Netball Club and more support for River Gum sporting clubs especially juniors; Completion of the Hallam Road duplication up to Princes Highway; Making Casey a solar city to generate an income to offset rates.
Three ways to make council budget savings: Change the CEO to get an injection of new skills and financial expertise; Greater scrutiny to cut wastage in the Operational Budget such as unnecessary overseas trips for council officers; Stop wasting money on infrastructure projects that are not justified or in some cases not even asked for.
Your view on half-mast Casey flag: Inappropriate.
Law-and-order solutions: More funding for police and effective intervention and transition programs; Council liaising more with schools and teaching civics in schools; More healthy alternatives for youth and local job creation; More support programs.
DAMIEN ROSARIO
(preferences Sacco, Smith)
What ward/municipality do you live in: River Gum
Political party membership:
Place of Worship: St Kevin’s Church, Hampton Park
Campaign sponsors and donors: Unknown
Campaign cost/budget: Self-funded
Top three projects you’ll achieve on council: Completion of the Hampton Park Central Structure Plan for the shopping and community districts in Hampton Park (a huge undertaking that has not progressed in 15 years but is finally moving); Myuna Farm Master Plan and implementation (Doveton); Upgrading our sporting reserves with extra playing courts and much needed resources.
Three ways to make council budget savings: Initiate a yearly review of council services, assets and expenditure; Dispose of excess and unnecessary assets that are no longer required (e.g. small parcels of land that serve no use or large assets that do not meet council’s policies); Ensure a more competitive tendering process.
Your view on half-mast Casey flag: A symbolic gesture to register our residents’ sincere desperation in looking to be heard by the State Government, as Victoria’s largest council, on our concerns of crime and community safety, as well as to register our disappointment in the cuts to police hours and numbers in our municipality.
Law-and-order solutions: Education and consistent messaging (signage, warnings); Continue in our partnership with Victoria Police and council to ensure that we are addressing crime and community safety as a united front; Enforcement action and following through to ensure that trouble makers know that our council will not tolerate anti-social behaviour.
REUBEN HUMPHRIES
(preferences Rosario, Smith)
What ward/municipality do you live in: Four Oaks Ward
Political party membership: Not endorsed as a candidate by any political party.
Place of Worship: None
Campaign sponsors and donors: None
Campaign cost/budget: Not much, only what I have saved up.
Top three projects you’ll achieve on council: Improved public transport options; Increase jobs in Casey; Better support residents who care for someone with special needs.
Three ways to make council budget savings: Stop the government cost shifting to council; Review council services; Sell things we don’t need.
Your view on half-mast Casey flag: It’s very clear that the State Government needs to act on their responsibilities to adequately fight crime in Casey, and lowering the corporate flag of the City of Casey is one effective message, at zero cost to the ratepayer, telling the State Government to act.
Law-and-order solutions: The State Government is failing Casey residents, so if I am elected I will implement community initiated crime prevention programs that have worked elsewhere and that have been tailored to our needs. However, this is only shifting the burden onto local residents, so I will also fight the State Government’s inaction and demand that it fulfills its promises to the people.
ROBERT SACCO
(preferences Rosario)
What ward/municipality do you live in: River Gum
Political party membership: Independent
Place of Worship: Church
Campaign sponsors and donors: Self funded
Campaign cost/budget: $3000
Top three projects you’ll achieve on council: Widening of Pound/Shrives Road; Upgrade of Robert Booth Reserve; Improvement of Hampton Park Shopping Centre surrounds.
Three ways to make council budget savings: Human resources review; Program evaluations to eliminate any duplication of services; Review of councillor entitlements.
Your view on half-mast Casey flag: It’s a passive protest from council for action by the State Government for additional police resources. While offering visual reminders to all, it doesn’t go far enough. We need pro-active measures to assist with our local policing, which given my security background, I am confident I could assist with.
Law-and-order solutions: The community needs to engage with organisations such as Neighbourhood Watch, to learn about some simple start measures such as locking car doors in driveways and locking doors when home. From police statistics, 40 per cent of the burglary, aggravated burglary and home invasions occur due to unlocked doors. Let’s focus on eliminating the 40 per cent that we all have the power to, thereby giving police the ability and resources to focus on other crime.
ALADIN REXHEPI
(preferences Rosario, Smith)
What ward/municipality do you live in: City of Casey
Political party membership: None
Place of Worship: None
Campaign sponsors and donors: Self-funded
Campaign cost/budget: Minimum spend as possible
Top three projects you’ll achieve on council: Streamline planning permits and implement adequate planning controls and processes; Support local businesses by cutting red tape and encouraging investment; Promote responsible building of properties in designated areas to ensure needs of the community are catered for.
Three ways to make council budget savings; Ensuring budgets are practical, responsible and tailored for the urgent needs of the community; Scrutinise budget items to ensure no duplication, question status-quo and prioritise capital projects; Improve planning and forecasting processes to ensure we spend within our means and eliminate junkets.
Your view on half-mast Casey flag: We should not be playing politics with our national symbol. There are better ways to highlight issues regarding the city to relevant authorities.
Law-and-order solutions: Demand and fight for 24-hours manned police stations; Promote Neighbourhood Watch programs, install CCTV cameras in public areas and push for more police presence; Promote safety and lobby for tougher rulings on offenders.
JOHN GULZARI
What ward/municipality do you live in: River Gum
Political party membership: The Australian Greens
Place of Worship: Non-practising Muslim, no particular place of worship
Campaign sponsors and donors: Small donations from small business owners and The Greens supporters
Campaign cost/budget: A small amount, self funded
Top three projects you’ll achieve on council: Improve social cohesion, harmonious living, integration and co-existence among the multicultural communities. Improve buses and trains’ connectivity and frequency across City of Casey. Ensuring council business is managed in a fair and transparent manner, and resources are utilised properly.
Three ways to make council budget savings: Not spending too much on building new council offices. NBN deal and group solar panel discount for residents to cut pollution and save money. Lobbying to State Government for increased concession to public transport for infants, students, elderly, disabled, asylum seekers and refugees.
Your view on half-mast Casey flag: Not supporting half mast flag, because it is an insult to the flag. There are other ways of protest.
Law-and-order solutions: Neighbourhood Watch. Community engagement “By the community for the community”. Community volunteering engagement project.
[ More Casey Council Ward candidates here… ]
