Councillors bid farewell

THREE Lismore councillors gave their farewell addresses to the Lismore Council Chambers on Tuesday night.

Elly Bird, Peter Colby and Darlene Cook will not contest the September local government election.

Mayor Steve Krieg used a ‘Mayoral Minute’ to recognise the efforts of the councillors in serving their community.

“It’s not the time that you spend here, it’s the effort they put in,” Cr Krieg said.

“Everyone who has decided not to contest the election on September 14 deserves a level of recognition.”

Cr Colby said he had always intended to be a “one-termer”.

“It has been a real learning curve for me. I came out of a corporate world that was totally structured differently and operated differently,” he said.

“I can see the challenges and I can see the issues that everybody faces on a day-to-day basis.”

He said the floods brought to light the role of councillors as an interface with the community but had limitations in what they could deliver.

“It was very engaging; I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the dynamics,” he said.

Cr Colby thanked everyone for the time and effort they put into helping him in his time as councillor.

Cr Cook said representing the diverse community of the Lismore area for eight years was “a great honour and a privilege”.

“One of my big passions on coming on to council was the finances of council. Championing the Audit Risk and Improvement Committee’s creation in the early years was something I really worked towards,” Cr Cook said.

As an openly gay woman and well-known activist in Lismore, Cr Cook said it was a proud moment for her and the LGBTIQ community to have the council confirm its commitment to marriage equality in 2017 and to fly the rainbow flag over the chambers.

“That sent a message through the gay community that this council was embracing and including the gay community,” Cr Cook said.

She lamented what she saw as a lost opportunity to show unity in representing and advocating for the community after the flood.

Cr Cook cited the stressful environment within the chamber as the reason she was not running for a third time.

She thanked the council staff for their support.

Cr Bird said: “Sometimes people in this community have given me names because of the emotion that I bring into this chamber, but I serve my community with heart.

“I remember when I was first elected – I was so enthusiastic. I was so excited to be elected to council because I felt like we were on the brink of a renewable energy revolution, and we were going to do great things. And then we got that massive flood five months later.”

She said the challenge for all levels of government was not to lose sight of the bigger picture and the long-term vision.

Cr Bird said she wanted her legacy to be leaving the council in a good financial position, and she thought there had been a slight improvement despite the flood.

She said there had been some challenges, but “I wouldn’t do it any other way”.

“It’s been an absolute privilege and an absolute honour to serve this community.”