A community that comes together can achieve great things.

Over the last three years I have, along with people in our community, found and then lead drives to:

• protect Luna Park
• complete Harry’s Park
• protect Wendy’s Secret Garden in perpetuity, and
• build the Sydney Harbour High Line.

Good government, at all levels, requires rational discussion of the facts leading to the adoption and implementation of well thought out policies.

The imperative is that our elected representatives focus on representing the electorate and not engage in warfare between themselves.

I’ve lived:

• on the Lower North Shore for forty years;
• since 2006, in Milsons Point

I’ve become increasingly frustrated by the ever-widening gulf between our community and those that represent us. A gulf that’s made the fight to protect and add to our community assets (Luna and Harry’s Parks, Wendy’s Secret Garden, and the Sydney Harbour High Line) a hard slog – it just should not be this way.

I reached the point – complaining about it needed to give way to doing something about it …

At the state level our representatives, with time, focus on the internal machinations of their party and disconnect from those that they represent – our community.

• The by-election was set for early April 2017. My decision to stand was taken four weeks out from the election. The message I took from receiving more than 9% of the vote was that a lot of people in our community felt ignored by mainstream parties.

At the local government level North Sydney Council had become dysfunctional, a creature of factions.

A State Government Inquiry confirmed this.

• The election was held in September 2017. The message I took from the by-election was reinforced by receiving more than 20% of votes cast in the ward – the message more forcefully put was that people in our community were tired of being ignored.

Disagreements and debates really do lead to shared understandings of the opposing views and, sometime, changes in position.

Achievements are collectively achieved – the achievements of Council during this term that I am proud of include:

• the replacement of the Alfred Street (Luna Park) arch;
• the start on the rebuilding of our “North Sydney Olympic Pool”;
• the completion of Northcliff Park (overlooking Luna Park); and
• progress with the plan that will see Council take “care and control” of the foreshore at Berrys Bay and the possible the Bay becoming the new home for Sydney Heritage Fleet.

The challenges ahead – getting the State Government to:

• transfer land to North Sydney Council to be used as public open space to make up for the open space land it is seizing to build its Western Harbour and Beaches’ tunnels; and
• move ahead with the Sydney Harbour HighLine.