MAYORAL and councillor candidate, Keith Wilkinson said that council needs a paradigm shift in culture and a complete analysis of its operations and the way it interacts with the community and for this to occur, council needs to undergo a process such as Business Process Re-Engineering (BPR).
“Council has a lot of good talented people on staff who are basically doing a good job, unfortunately because of the impact of the politically motivated “Yes Team” and the imposition of and administrator, our community has had no say in the way its community is being developed,” Mr Wilkinson said.
“They have had no say in its future prosperity and no say in how or where council spends rate payer’s money and we are all painfully aware of the end result.
“The council’s model for operations and funding are broken and as a priority needs to be fixed. It’s functioning in an operational environment that excludes the community, the ones who pay their wages.
“Firstly, we need to implement organisational change, a cultural change within council that ensures Council works for the community – and not itself.
“Therefore, we need to implement a strategy to ensure that Council consults more frequently and broadly with the community so that resident’s thoughts and concerns are taken into account.
“This can be achieved through the development of comprehensive analysis of organisational operations and operational environments by implementing various principles, such as BPR (Business Process Re-Engineering), TQM (Total Quality Management) and MBO (Management by Objectives).
“Secondly, there needs to be strong fiscal management for sustainable economic development.
“We cannot continue to put pressure on our residents by constantly raising rates to fund the next project.
“It has to be understood that Financial Management goes beyond the expenditure of the budget and acquisition of grants. This can achieved through Strategic Cost Benefit Analysis i.e. Cost Drivers and Value Chain. Council needs to think laterally when developing projects and stop the insane wastage that seems to occur on every project.”
Mr Wilkinson said we have all heard of projects where rate payer’s dollars are being wasted e.g. 6 workmen and a backhoe taking a week to fix 8 feet of curb and guttering or the developer who payed $80,000 and had to wait 18 months for approvals before he could turn his fist shovel or soil because council would not accept their own aerial photos as proof.
“Council needs to adopt a lateral thought process and generate alternative solutions and this can be achieved through the use of Rational and Creative Problem Solving Techniques,” the candidate said.
“We need community minded and devoted skilled individuals in council who can work as a team for the community and will ensure the accountability from council that the community demands and deserves.
“The last thing we need is to have another political party of group (with their own agenda) elected into council. The community can not afford their agenda.”
Keith has no affiliations with any political parties or so called “Independent” groups.
“I consider myself a “Representative of the Community” and their voice on council,” he said.
Mr Wilkinson said he would encourage all residents to become familiar with the Council’s Community Strategic Plan, because this is the blueprint for the region’s development and growth over the next 20 years.
However, the Strategic Plan (as a living document) can and should be regularly reassessed and adapted to take in new and emerging needs and priorities as according to the needs of residents of the Port Macquarie -Hastings.
“As Mayor, I will ensure that all of the community has every opportunity to be involved in the review of the Council’s Community Strategic Plan as well as ensuring that Council will listen to the thoughts, needs and wants of the entire community no matter where they live within the Port Macquarie-Hastings.
“I will ensure that council is accountable for the expenditure of rate payer’s dollars,” he said.