Cr Michael Neoh
AFTER eight years on council, including two as mayor, Michael Neoh wants to run another term to complete unfinished business in his vision to make Warrnambool a better city.
The 47-year-old sports network executive is keen to give communities in Dennington, Allansford, Merrivale, South Warrnambool and Bushfield more identity and a chance to determine if they want protection or development.
He also wants to speed up the delivery of more off-street car parking focusing on the potential to put hundreds of bays in the railway station yards.
Cr Neoh said the council needed a broad range of candidates with various skills and ideas.
He dismissed criticism the council was hamstrung by a 5-2 voting bloc and dominated by “rubber stampers”.
“If you go back through the records you’d find about 80 per cent of resolutions have been passed by the seven councillors,” he said.
“Personalities don’t drive council — good decision-making does. There will always be colourful councillors. If you lose a vote, you accept it and move on — that’s democracy.”
Cr Neoh said the role of a modern councillor was not about single issues or running the day-to-day operations, but governance, monitoring and setting policy directions.
He said he had been satisfied to see the realisation of his earlier goals to lobby for more Princes Highway passing lanes, more emphasis on skate parks, pedestrian safety and development of a city-wide structure plan.
“Now I want to give more recognition for communities to be included in the next council plan,” he said.
“It can be around a geographical base or interest groups or even service clubs — it’s about their identity.”
Nominations for the October elections officially open on September 20 and close on September 25.
