By Alesha Capone
Two Harrison ward councillors have urged nominees for the Wyndham council’s upcoming election to be serious about representing Wyndham.
More than 20 candidates are running in Harrison ward, which covers Point Cook, Truganina, Williams Landing and part of Hoppers Crossing.
Current ward councillor Aaron An is standing for re-election, while Cr Tony Hooper and Cr Intaj Khan are not.
Cr Hooper said continuing to balance council duties with a fulltim job and family responsibilities would not be “sustainable”.
Cr Khan said that apart from COVID-19, the most urgent issue facing Wyndham was rapid population growth.
“Issues of traffic and the load placed on our infrastructure need to be solved before they become a problem,” he said.
Cr Khan said he was concerned some candidates might not realise that being a councillor required a “big commitment” and “lots of personal time”, with councillor’s efforts not always appreciate.
“It is concerning that there are lots of people running this time without having done their homework,” he said.
Cr An said issues facing Wyndham included community infrastructure and services needed to meet the growing community’s demand; and more local jobs and education opportunities.
Cr An said it while it was a democratic right to stand in council elections, he would like to see “legitimate candidates who can demonstrate the skills, knowledge, experience, and proven records for helping the community”.
“It is important to remind potential candidates that standing for council is a serious thing,” he said.
Election candidate Eli Muse, founder of the not-for-profit Kulture Hive in Williams Landing, said he wanted to become a councillor because his volunteer work has exposed him “to a wide range of issues and gaps locally”.
“The overarching needs of the community, from my understanding, fit into areas I call SITS – which are safety, inclusion, transparency and a self-sustainable city,” he said.
The Point Cook Action Group (PCAG) is organising a Harrison ward election online forum – likely to be held later this month – to provide residents with an opportunity to hear from election candidates.
PCAG committee member Senthill Sundaram said candidates would also be asked to share their views and action plan in a written format, and a short video.
Details: bit.ly/pcagpcsurvey2020
