Shayne Stiff has one primary focus in running for council: he wants to keep people honest.
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Mr Stiff is standing in the South Ward for the Dubbo Regional Council local elections. He is in Group A with former Dubbo councillor Greg Mohr.
It was only in recent times that Mr Stiff said he decided to run for council. His actions were prompted by the NSW government, he said, and decisions such as the greyhound ban, which was later reversed.
“I think we need people on local council who can keep the politicians honest. We need people who can make sure they keep their promises,” Mr Stiff said.
The Dubbo Greyhound Racing Club president said he didn’t want to see the city going the way the greyhound industry almost did.
Mr Stiff said he would bring a lot of strong attributes to the council.
“I like helping people. I like helping them get what they want. And if I get elected to council I’ll always be here to help,” he said.
“If someone has an issue I have no problem in telling them if they’re barking up the wrong tree and they’re wasting their time.”
Put simply, Mr Stiff said he would “fight for what’s right”.
“I follow the KISS principal – keep it simple stupid. I have no university degree but I have a degree in the school of hard knocks. You’ve got to keep it simple,” he said.
The council candidate said he did not support the introduction of the Food and Garden Waste Organics bin. He also didn’t believe it was right to have an unelected administrator running the council.
Council should be democratic, he said, and run by those who were chosen by the residents.
If elected, Mr Stiff also promised to remove the confusing ward system currently in place. Under the system, residents are only able to vote for candidates who are standing in their ward – determined by residence.
The ward system shouldn’t be there, Mr Stiff said, and it was causing a lot of confusion, especially among the older generation.
Mr Stiff was full of praise for his running mate. Mr Mohr was a good bloke, Mr Stiff said, and he liked the way the Wongarbon resident thought.
Mr Stiff said he was born and bred in the Richmand area near Sydney, however he had lived in Dubbo for about 20 years.
Pre-polling will begin on August 28 before the election on September 9. Once pre-polling opens residents, if eligible, can vote at the Returning Office on Macquarie Street or at 21-23 Swift Street in Wellington.
More information about the Dubbo Regional Council election is available at www.elections.nsw.gov.au.