So, the obvious question is, why don’t the residents of Wingecarribee get to vote for the mayor. Why don’t we have a popular election for the mayor? 

This has become a very significant question at a time when there has been an accelerating trend, indeed a global trend, which is anti-establishment, anti-political. Voters have increasingly felt frustrated and disenfranchised by politicians, and have lost faith and trust in them, and in the political process.

Today our politicians seem to be almost totally self-absorbed, preoccupied in playing short-term political games, obsessed to score points on each other, to shift blame to their opponents, to dominate the media coverage, with poor government as a result. Problems and issues simply don’t get effectively addressed or solved, mostly just neglected, or “kicked down the road”.

Generally, as their sense of frustration and disenchantment with traditional politicians and the political processes have grown, voters have become more demanding, wanting change, wanting to be heard, wanting their needs to be met, and their aspirations acknowledged and addressed.

In our country there is a general sense that, with three levels of government, we are over-governed. While voters record, from time to time, their disappointment about all three levels of government, they feel it most at the local level, the level with the most significant and direct impact on their daily lives.

Residents are concerned about everything from potholes to spending largesse, about poor financial management, about misplaced priorities, about actual and potential conflicts of interest by individual councillors, about unnecessary delays in council decisions and processes, not to mention the major stuff ups and conspicuous negligence with key infrastructure projects. 

Many local residents have been campaigning for a voice on these and many other issues, for some mechanism whereby their concerns can be heard, hopefully being able to hold the council, and some individual councillors, to account. Even, maybe, influencing the choice of mayor.

As things stand, the possibility of shifting to a full mayoral election must wait, unable to be considered until the next full council election  over two years from now. 

However, in would be possible to call on councillors to make themselves available to appear at a number of public meetings in a lead up to the September mayoral election, where they would be able to speak to their personal motivations, values, and commitments, as well as provide residents with the opportunity raise their issues of concern, and to question them about what they have done, or haven’t done, or intend to do.

Residents might also be able to express themselves via Facebook, perhaps coordinated by this newspaper.

It will be important that, to be successful and influential, these events and opportunities will need to be well publicised, and the public events independently chaired, or adjudicated.

While residents may not be able to have a direct vote on the next mayor, a collection of their views, via public meetings and various internet-based surveys, should provide a pretty effective mechanism by which they might expect to influence the “Cherished Nine” who will get to vote for one among them as our next mayor.