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.<\/p>\n
Running to about $32,000 a year, Mr Howard said he wasn\u2019t seeking a place in town hall for the financial benefit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not doing it for the money,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m comfortable at a stage of life where I don\u2019t need the funding, so have determined I\u2019ll simply allocate it to a fund that then can be used to support activities for community groups in Ballarat.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s part of my thank you to Ballarat for the support I\u2019ve received over the years and the appreciation I\u2019ve gained in representing Ballarat over many years and working with community groups,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is me giving back.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the annual payment for being a councillor is about $32,000 a year, the mayor gets closer to $100,000.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s a short-term catch.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not looking to be mayor and I wouldn\u2019t accept the mayoral office this year. It\u2019s something I\u2019d only consider down the track,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While Mr Howard was willing to make the commitment, he didn\u2019t expect other candidates would or should match it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI acknowledge that I\u2019m in a different position and comfortably well off in a retired situation,\u201d he said. \u201cI understand that many people with young families will be in very different situations and this is a personal decision for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for how he would go about getting the money to local charities and community groups, Mr Howard had some ideas on that process.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I\u2019m elected, I\u2019ll have discussions with council management and look at a range of options,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEither I would control it or if it became more easy, I could simply put it into a broader fund.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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\u2019t seeking a place in town hall for the financial benefit. \u201cI\u2019m not doing it for the […]<\/p>\n