THE Greens ticket for the upcoming Kiama council elections is a mix of familiar faces and newcomers to local government.
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The Kiama Greens ticket for the September 10 poll is headed by current councillors Andrew Sloan and Kathy Rice.
Number three on the ticket is Bethamie Woodstone.
She has been a small business owner and worked for the Departments of Community Services, Health and Immigration.
Jodi Keast, manager at the Kiama Community College and Deputy Chair of Grand Pacific Health Ltd joins the ticket at number four.
Aged in his early 20’s, and born and raised in Kiama, Patrick McDonald works part-time while studying Creative Writing and History at Wollongong University.
Rounding out the ticket is Warren Holder, a former teacher, champion windsurfer and president of the Gerroa Environment Protection Society for the past 10 years.
Cr Sloan believed the Kiama Greens have earned the community’s trust regarding protecting the unique character of the region from over-development.
“Kiama council is under constant pressure from the state and developers for more urban sprawl, higher buildings and oversized and inappropriate developments,” he said.
“I think that the constant efforts of Kiama Greens over 20 years to protect our farmlands from urban expansion, make urban areas more liveable and ensure our natural environment is conserved is appreciated and well understood by the community.
“We also understand that in order to maintain council independence we must manage council’s budget responsibly.”
“The community know that we can be relied upon to support the high level of services council provides for our community, in particular the expansion of retirement services, the arts and youth services,” Cr Rice said.
“I am delighted to welcome Bethamie and Jodi to the team. I was the only woman on the last council and I am hopeful that these two very talented women will help change the gender balance.”
Cr Sloan said it was vital to try and increase the diversity of councillors to better represent all sections of the community, citing the Greens’ candidates aged in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s 50’s and 60’s.