Watson Ward
Stefan Borzecki

The key Issue is to make the Shire Management itself sustainable, is by ceasing perpetual growth and thus working for the Ratepayer

The skills I bring range from University training in Engineering and Business Administration, Public Company Directorship experience down to the basic of building up a small business here in the Shire against all the restrictions an and  negative imbedded attitudes of the Shire over the past forty years.

Electrification of the rail should be all the way to Stony Point/Cerebus Naval Base as part of our Federal Military requirements.. This would boost Frankston as well as eliminating the need for Train Marshalling Yards and all day car parking in Frankston Central. Running a short length of Diesel Track plus side by side Bus service is insanity!

The single most important area of the Shire is to make the Planning Department user friendly as distinct from the current adversarial role e.g. we are the biggest clients at VCAT. The attitude to ratepayers (Small Business’s) should be how can we help you; here is a way how it can be done! Instead of the present system where the attitude is lodge what  you want then after six months just say no! When so often it is just a small change and things can be done. This would also help eliminate the community feel that different rules apply to Different People. I have been accused by the CEO of being an Engineer and thus expecting a level playing Field! That was tacit acknowledgement to me that he knew, there were different rules and did nothing about it!

The Mornington Peninsula should be a separate entity from Metropolitan Melbourne it is a distinctly different region and I would lobby on that premise.  A key element of this is to maintain the green wedge immediately south of Frankston. Though it should be noted that as we provide the greatest  water access point for all Melbournians we should receive extra funding for all Blue Infrastructure as it is mostly used by Melbournians. I also believe we should double all our Green Wedge areas by incorporating all of French Island. It would make for magnificent Marketing Opportunities. An extra 17,000 hectares plus 50Km of Wildlife Coast.

The greatest conflict with most Ratepayers and the Shire emanates from the Planning Department which is totally non user friendly and very Combative wasting Millions in Funds every Year at VCAT. This has to be turned around to become user friendly, simply by a change of attitude i.e. if a Proposal Comes in discuss it with the client and indicate how their objective can be met. Not the current attitude whereby you lodge your plans and then six months later they just say no! A level playing field for all needs to be implemented. The Compliance Department should only be used as a last resort currently Compliance doesn’t even talk to the relevant Planning Officers. The CEO says this is because they work in Silos!

The best way the Council can respond to the “Covid-19 Recovery Phase” is to facilitate real job creation. The first step is to release as much as possible Industrial Land for Development and stop trying to pick winners. Next a high pressure approach that any job related proposal is given the go ahead automatically unless the Officers can justify saying no. No side stepping asking for more reviews /outside consultants i.e. no delaying excuses.

The reason Ratepayers should vote for me is that I have the relevant experience to run a large Corporation and a small business, but most importantly I have been on the receiving end of the Shire Bureaucracy for forty years hence I can try and curtail their delaying techniques such as the overworked “Precautionary Principle” which to the person in the street means “the do nothing Principle” and you can never be wrong.

I would hope to slim the Council down/freezing Rates but above all make the Shire more user Friendly; better value for money to the Ratepayers.

This is a chance for Ratepayers to vote in people with real business experience after all the Shire is a $100Million operation not your Local Ice-cream Shop.