Pat running for council

Mrs Urquhart has been a regular attendee at council meetings sitting in the public gallery often taking notes for future letters to the Examiner and she has made public submissions to council on various issues.

Urquhart said that public advocacy is something that is important to her.

“I have made submissions on behalf of the community to various government departments on different issues over the last four years,” she said.

“Each time I have been advised to take the issue back to council and I just haven’t got the results, so I am running for council.

“I do not have any personal agenda; my only focus is to bring back community consultation.”

Mrs Urquhart believes that Councillors have not had enough information given to them in the last term to make informed decisions.

“If more information was provided to Councillors that would allow them to make informed decisions on all the various issues that affect the community,” she said.

“I want to be a Councillor that acts in the best interests of the community and not just rubber stamp decisions that are already made.

“I stand for advancing our community and change and I think if voters want that they should vote for me and if the public don’t want that they will get what they already have.”

Mrs Urquhart said the time has come for her to make her voice heard from within the council.

‘I have tried to advocate for change as a member of the public but that just has not worked,” she said.

“I have made a number of good points in letters and in public submissions and nothing has been acted upon.

‘Now I feel the only way to bring about change is to do it from  within, but of course I will always listen to the public and act upon things they feel the district needs, I won’t ignore them as I feel I have been.”

Mrs Urquhart said the current council has often passed decisions through that have not been in the best interests of the shire.

“I have had the feeling that the directors make resolutions and the Councillors just agree without really researching what they are doing,” she said.

“I would change that by making sure I had all the information I needed before I made a decision.

“I think that is what voters want from their Councillors, to study all the facts and then make a decision, and that is what I will try and do.

“We must do what is best for the shire.”