IN with industry, and the arts will follow.
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That’s the philosophy of Maria Hitchcock, the latest resident to announce her candidacy for the Armidale Regional Council September elections.
“People tell me that ever since we were designated as a city of the arts, the focus drifted towards that and away from industry,” Ms Hitchcock said.
“We had a number of councillors who had a closed door mentality to any sort of industry coming into the town, they felt that Armidale should be like an English university town – fairly cultural and pristine.
“It doesn’t work like that in Australia, we just don’t have the population.”
Chair of the Armidale Ratepayers Association for the past three years, Ms Hitchcock said the new council will need to develop the region’s assets – especially agriculture.
“I know of businesses that have come to Armidale previously, they’ve been turned away and gone down the road to Tamworth - and they’ve welcomed them with open arms,” Ms Hitchcock said.
“There’s an open door policy that has been missing in this town for many years and we need to get it back.”
The Beardy Street Mall is another big focus of Ms Hitchcock’s campaign.
Quiet streets and landlords deliberately keeping shopfronts empty for tax relief are things she plans to change.
“In some cities they actually penalise empty shops by loading up the rates,” Ms Hitchcock said.
“You need someway of encouraging people not to have empty shops, something like the Renew Newcastle model to invite your craftspeople to come in.”
In a throwback to her studies, Ms Hitchcock raised the potential for an interesting new tradition.
A spin-off of the German Gänseliesel, she would like to see two bronze statues erected in The Mall.
When a university student completes their doctorate, they can lay flowers by the statues to celebrate.
“I think that would be a fabulous tradition to have here,” she said.
Click to see the rest of the September election candidates here.