Why is Geoff Howard having another crack?

POLITICAL veteran, Geoff Howard is once again running for the City of Ballarat council in October’s elections.

A Labor party member and once the representative in the state seats of Buninyong and Ballarat East, this year Mr Howard is gunning for the Central Ward seat. 

Previously Mr Howard had stated that he’d not planned on re-entering public life following his retirement in 2018.

However, Mr Howard said he kept a close eye on local government and noticed a number of issues arising within the City of Ballarat over the past six months.

“One of my concerns is that the streetscapes protection haven’t been acting well enough, along with the issue of recycling has been a matter of concern and the of sacking of the chief executive officer,” he said.

“I thought that maybe they need someone with experience to get onto the council to make a difference and get some of these issues sorted out a bit more effectively.

“Perhaps that is me because I have the time to commit to helping the City of Ballarat to get back on track again.”

If elected, he said some of the Central Ward issues he is hoping to address include the construction of the fernery, the lake lighting project, Lydiard Street access and traffic flow and parking surrounding the GovHub.

“I’ve got a lot of experience from my council days and State government days that would see me being in a good position to be able to ensure that the council can work better,” he said.

“I think I’m capable of working with people to ensure that we keep focused on the issues that are important and not getting into personality issues.”

“More broadly, I have a strong view that residents and rate payers need to feel they have good access to the council to share their opinions and I’m ready to make myself available to listen and address issues of concern.”

After a whirlwind year, many community members will be voting at the October elections with safety and security in mind.

Mr Howard said its important residents can trust in the future council to work together to get Ballarat back on its feet.

“Moving Ballarat forward is a major issue the new council will have to deal with,” he said.

“We will have to have a good plan and work with the State and Federal government to ensure we stimulate all of the aspects of the economy.

“The next step is, as restrictions ease, is being able to get people back to work and getting people feeling connected to the community again.”