AFTER twelve years on Ballarat council, Central Ward representative Cr Samantha McIntosh says she still has \u201cunfinished business.\u201d<\/p>\n
The three-term political veteran and three-time mayor said creating a better future for the city as one of the key reasons behind her next tilt at taking a seat in the town hall chamber.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very important for me, even more so than before, to think deeply about what the future is for my grandchildren and the people of Ballarat and their grandchildren,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had the most amazing forefathers that planned a spectacular Ballarat in the gold rush, and we\u2019re still reaping the benefits of that today.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important now that we think about what our future is.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for what that future might be, Cr McIntosh looking towards major connectivity projects to continue to make her mark on the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany of the projects are staged projects, somethings you can\u2019t deliver all at once and we need to break things down into bitesize chunks,\u201d Cr McIntosh said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLink Road is a significant one, it has the ability and capacity to link our broader regions to make sure we have the ability to deliver that food and fibre post-COVID at a time we need to further develop business opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to talk about road, rail and air and those projects are influenced by Link Road.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just big picture issues on Cr McIntosh\u2019s agenda, she\u2019s also pushed hard on protecting the city\u2019s heritage value.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s come through in her strong advocacy on projects in and around the Botanical Gardens, something she says is interconnected wider issues across the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of our projects really interlink,\u201d she said. \u201cWhether they be things like the Fernery, the Gate Keeper\u2019s Cottage, the lake and sounds, the CBD, movement through Bridge Street and our main Sturt Street boulevard. They are all very important and equally as important as those major projects.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just under a year ago, Cr McIntosh\u2019s three-year term as mayor came to an end as a pan-political collation moved to unseat her from the dais.<\/p>\n
Despite being turfed from the mayor\u2019s chair in a highly visual bunfight she\u2019s publicly unwilling to criticise the action.<\/p>\n
Instead she chooses to focus on the positive elements of being mayor, although she does have a message for those who work with political motives behind the scenes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve achieved some enormous projects and goals and there\u2019s still some projects we\u2019re working on,\u201d Cr McIntosh said. \u201cI understand many people would like to stand at the forefront of those conversations and competition brings all sorts out in individuals.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have heard over time niggles and swipes in the background. The important thing for me is to stand above that.<\/p>\n
\u201cImagine if those people put that effort from behind the scenes into doing great work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Does she want to be mayor again? Possibly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy goal at the moment is to stand and seek election again,\u201d she said. \u201cThen it\u2019s really about the nine councillors that are there to make that decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a position I\u2019ve been very proud of in the past, and one that I will consider if I am elected.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cr McIntosh is somewhat of a political journey woman. In the mid-2000 she stood as a National for the Victorian Legislative Council and then in 2007 as the Liberal Party candidate for the Federal seat of Ballarat.<\/p>\n
While she\u2019s still currently a member of the Liberals, she said she\u2019s not endorsed for the municipal election or receiving any funding from the party.<\/p>\n
She also took a swipe at the growing trend of political party backing for local government candidates.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether we\u2019re looking at filling a pothole, if we\u2019re Liberal, Labor, Green or independent, it should not make a difference,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AFTER twelve years on Ballarat council, Central Ward representative Cr Samantha McIntosh says she still has \u201cunfinished business.\u201d The three-term political veteran and three-time mayor said creating a better future for the city as one of the key reasons behind her next tilt at taking a seat in the town hall chamber. \u201cIt\u2019s very important […]<\/p>\n