The results of the local government elections have been announced.
We congratulate our new Mayor Teeny Brumby and Deputy Mayor Giovanna Simpson who will take up the position for a second term.
Councillors David Pease, Amina Keygan, Ken Dorsey, Steve Kons and Chris Lynch have been re-elected. The two new faces at the council are Trent Aitken and Justin Grave.
We would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to Alvwyn Boyd who has served this community for decades as councillor and Mayor. Alvwyn and his wife Glenda have been great supporters of the arts.
Burnie Arts Council maintain a very close watch on council matters, and endeavour to have a representative present at every council meeting. We feel this election is absolutely critical to the future of the city, especially in terms of our status and reputation as a cultural centre.
On May 3rd, 2021, council announced a raft of decisions which struck at the very heart of this identity. We feel the community is still reeling from these decisions and the way the roll-out was managed.
In the lead up to the election, we asked 4 questions of each councillor who was standing for re-election, along with permission to publish the results. Their responses are published below. Steve Kons did not provide an answer.
1. How would you describe the impact on the city in the wake of the decisions announced in May 2021?
2. The ‘spirit’ of the city feels broken and trust in council is at an all-time low. What is your plan to rebuild community trust and civic pride?
3. Our reputation within the Tasmanian arts sector has taken a serious blow. What are your plans to salvage this, given the unveiling of the refurbished Arts and Function Centre (or whatever it will be called in the future), is unlikely to be completed until 2024?
4. With the benefit of hindsight, what key decisions, or actions which flowed from those decisions, could have been handled differently?
On the 5th of October, Business North-West held a Candidates Forum at the Burnie Town Hall. A video of the event was recorded and can be viewed here. Thank you to Ian and the team at BNW for making this happen.
