Howard makes payment pledge

CENTRAL Ward candidate in the City of Ballarat council vote, Geoff Howard, has said that if elected he will donate his annual councillor payment back to the community.

Running to about $32,000 a year, Mr Howard said he wasn’t seeking a place in town hall for the financial benefit.

“I’m not doing it for the money,” he said.

“I’m comfortable at a stage of life where I don’t need the funding, so have determined I’ll simply allocate it to a fund that then can be used to support activities for community groups in Ballarat.”

As a member of the Victorian Parliament for over 20 years, Mr Howard receives a significant pension resulting from that service to the tune of about $104,000 a year.

“It’s part of my thank you to Ballarat for the support I’ve received over the years and the appreciation I’ve gained in representing Ballarat over many years and working with community groups,” he said.

“This is me giving back.”

While the annual payment for being a councillor is about $32,000 a year, the mayor gets closer to $100,000.

If he did make it onto council and was subsequently elected to the role of mayor, Mr Howard said would also do the same pledge, but there’s a short-term catch.

“I’m not looking to be mayor and I wouldn’t accept the mayoral office this year. It’s something I’d only consider down the track,” he said.

While Mr Howard was willing to make the commitment, he didn’t expect other candidates would or should match it.

“I acknowledge that I’m in a different position and comfortably well off in a retired situation,” he said. “I understand that many people with young families will be in very different situations and this is a personal decision for them.”

As for how he would go about getting the money to local charities and community groups, Mr Howard had some ideas on that process.

“If I’m elected, I’ll have discussions with council management and look at a range of options,” he said.

“Either I would control it or if it became more easy, I could simply put it into a broader fund.”