Wards and mayoral election are fair

For many years, Gosford Council has been a single-ward Council.

While that system might have been okay in the 1950s, it fails to serve the complex needs of Gosford in the 21st century.

A ward system allows better representation of the needs of the local community.

Any fair-minded rational person would acknowledge that the Woy Woy-Umina area has been disadvantaged in comparison to Gosford and Erina.

Just for a start, the roads in the Peninsula are a disgrace.

There are more roads which are not kerbed and guttered, let alone paved in the Peninsula than anywhere in the Gosford region.

Some pot holes in the area should be put on the National Heritage List. They have been there for so long.

Wards allow for the views of the sub-regions within the City to be represented in Council.

At the moment the Chambers of Commerce are acting as de facto councillors.

On the issue of the election of mayor, how our mayor is elected challenges the very notion of a democratic process.

Generally speaking the present system means that the party with the most seats is likely to have its' candidate elected mayor.

In the case of a tied vote the process is to draw names from a hat, just like a chook raffle.

How pathetic and undemocratic is that?

Both Mayor Laurie Maher and Cr Peter Freewater agree with the notion of the voters electing their mayor.

Ward representation and popular election of the mayor is the fairest system.

Email, 5 May 2012

Ian Kilpatrick, Green Point