Wyndham residents could soon experience a blast from the past as a former mayor throws his hat back in the ring for this year’s council elections.
Henry Barlow, a two-time mayor who served on council from 1997-2008, is coming out of retirement to re-contest his former ward of Chaffey.
He said he wanted to restore leadership and team work to the council.
Mr Barlow told Star Weekly there were a number of reasons behind his decision to return to local government, and, if elected, he would seek to be mayor in the first year.
“The current council has tried its best in difficult circumstances but has not managed to get as good a result,” he said.
“I’m concerned about some of the directions this local council has gone over the past four years. It’s about showing leadership and teamwork, and that’s what I want to bring to this next council.”
One of Mr Barlow’s concerns is the number of complaints lodged against councillors, both from the public and internally. He said councillors needed to work as a team and sort out grievances behind closed doors.
He said he believed the council had not been very effective in securing funding from the state and federal governments.
He cited the $2 million Get Wyndham Moving campaign, which calls for federal and state contributions to ease traffic and congestion, as an example of an ineffective project.
“I’m not convinced that for the amount of effort and ratepayers’ money that has gone into it, that it has been as successful as it could’ve been,” Mr Barlow said.
He said he had a proven track record in securing funding from other levels of government, listing the Victoria University athletics track and the Hoppers Crossing Sporting Club as some of his political achievements.
After working for former Prime Minister Julia Gillard and other politicians, he said he understood how governments worked in order to guarantee funding.
The council elections will be held on October 22.
