Mark Dusting is one of three current Uralla shire councillors who have served the community for 12 years.
If Mr Dusting is elected for another term, Council’s finances will be his top priority.
“We have keep it under control,” he said.
“We have got to make this council financially viable, which is going to be extremely difficult with the state government continuing to cost shift.”
Mr Dusting said Council needed to promote economic development and growth to help Uralla prosper.
We used to have an economic development officer who didn’t seem to be achieving much,” he said
“If someone comes and says they want to start a business, you don’t say ‘we’ll you have got to fill out this form and that form’,” he said.
“We say ‘we’re going to help you through this to achieve what you're after’.”
Mr Dusting thinks the town’s tourism industry is underdeveloped and needs to keep up with technology and the way people access information.
“Tourism has hardly been touched,” he said,.
“We should be writing to tourist organisations in different countries and asking them what they want to see in Uralla.”
“We made the decision a while back to turn the tourist information centre and the library into an information hub, which was pretty unique in Australia when we were making the decision.
“What it will gain is the library would stay open more hours of the day, giving more access to kids in town.
“People don’t use the tourist information [centre] like they used to, they use their smartphones.”
Mr Dusting said the redevelopment was inevitable.
“It will happen, it’s just a matter of time,” he said.
Security is another priority issue for the veteran councillor.
He wants to see the security committee re-established in response to recent global events.
“I think our security situation has got to change,” he said.
“The world is changing around us and we have got to take note of what is occurring in other places.
“I would like to see a safety committee utilised like we used to have.
“Uralla is a very safe place to live and it didn’t happen by chance.”
The Uralla Shire Council election is on this Saturday, September 10.
It will happen, it’s just a matter of time.
- Mark Dusting on merging the visitors center and the library into an information hub.
