Hi Everyone,
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I feel like I have lived and breathed the local government elections over the past four weeks.
Attending lively community forums, chatting with candidates on a weekly basis and running extensive coverage in the paper – by the time Saturday rolled around I was exhausted!
A huge congratulations to Ry Collins for striking out in the lead and looking more than likely to claim the title of our next Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor.
I met with him and his wife, Mel, earlier in the week and it was great to see both his enthusiasm and sincerity – he genuinely wants what’s best for the community and I think his positive, collaborative attitude will be a real asset.
I also spoke with the new Councillors this week and congratulations goes to both Clay Bauman and John Finlay.
When I was chatting with John, he thanked me for the coverage and said it was “good fun” and that he’d really enjoyed the experience.
Firstly, it’s always great to feel appreciated for all the hard work we do at the paper and secondly, I was so glad he’d enjoyed it all!
For those of you that don’t know, over the past five weeks we’ve been running a series of Q&As with candidates – asking them about their views on divisive issues, but also general interest questions so the community could get to know them better.
This coverage has given each of them a platform and we hope it has also given you the opportunity to make an informed decision at the polling booths.
This week in the paper we celebrate the success of the winning candidates, but let’s also take a minute to commend all the brave and bold individuals who stood up for election in the first place.
It must take some guts to put yourself out there in the public arena and I think everyone ran a good race.
Rach
Quote of the Week: “Win as if you are used to it, lose as if you enjoyed it for a change” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
