YOGA studio operator and independent candidate Tracey Hargreaves has decided this year is the year to run for a South Ward seat.<\/p>\n
While preparing for her first-time candidacy, Ms Hargreaves said while she had long been considering running for local government, it wasn\u2019t until recently that she decided to take the leap.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had shifts happening internally and with the business and I wanted to step up and have a go to make an impact in a greater sense beyond the business in Ballarat,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201c2020 has been such a strange and unpredictable year and coming out of COVID, it\u2019s important that we are looking at what do people need to recover.\u201d<\/p>\n
Throughout her work within the CBD at her studio Absolute Yoga, she said has become well versed in what it takes to run a business in the Ballarat.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing in a small business, I\u2019ve had to step up and change a lot of things in order for the business to survive and thrive through this,\u201d Ms Hargreaves said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know the barriers that are there and the barriers in running businesses, with parking and expensive rates and I have a good experience with knowing what\u2019s going on in central Ballarat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aside from her professional work, Ms Hargreaves also regularly uses her online platform to rally the community and raise her voice about issues that are of concern to Ballarat residents.<\/p>\n
Specifically, she said she was involved with bringing issues with CBD parking to the attention of the City of Ballarat council.<\/p>\n
\u201cI strategically got the community involved to push back the newly instated restrictions in the Little Bridge Street carpark,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI pushed back with Facebook posts and got a lot of people behind it and it got so loud that it couldn\u2019t be ignored and shortly after, the City of Ballarat changed it back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat encouraged me to see that you can actually make a change and rally people to push back when things aren\u2019t right.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the future of the city, Ms Hargreaves said her top priority will be supporting people, not just in South Ward but across the board to get back on their feet.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore we can talk about roads, rubbish and trees which are important, we must zero in on right now which is such an unprecedented time for people,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people may have had their income impacted and lost their jobs, so now is a really good time to look at ways to support people\u2019s mental health.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very outspoken and down to earth and if elected, I will have no greater agenda than what is good for the people who live here and pay the rates here.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
YOGA studio operator and independent candidate Tracey Hargreaves has decided this year is the year to run for a South Ward seat. While preparing for her first-time candidacy, Ms Hargreaves said while she had long been considering running for local government, it wasn\u2019t until recently that she decided to take the leap. \u201cI had shifts […]<\/p>\n