TRICIA Blakeslee says she is standing for election to Warrnambool City Council because she loves Warrnambool.
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Ms Blakeslee said she wanted to make Warrnambool a safe, vibrant and inclusive regional city for people of all ages to enjoy, work and grow in.
However she was concerned the divisions in the council were inhibiting the city’s growth.
She was concerned the perception among many outside of Warrnambool that the city had a divisive council was harming Warrnambool.
“Unless we have stability and strength within the council, we will not get that growth,” Ms Blakeslee said.
If elected, she said she would listen to the community and work collaboratively with fellow councillors to ensure good council performance and transparency.
Ms Blakeslee, a long term Warrnambool district resident and former Brauer College teacher, said she was involved with several Warrnambool community organisations.
They included the council’s Planning and Landscape committee and its Bicycle Reference Group, and she was also a former president of the Friends of Woodford’s Jubilee Park.
She was also an active sportswoman, playing golf, tennis and doing diving that put her in touch with the concerns of many people in the community.
That involvement had given her a good understanding of local government and what the council needed to do to make the city a better place, Ms Blakeslee said.
She was also a team player, she said.
“I show initiative but I treat everyone with respect. I recognise the need for other people’s views to be heard,” Ms Blakeslee said.
Among the issues she will campaign on are for more sustainable urban development, more open spaces and the protection and enhancement of local coastal reserves and waterways.
She wants to develop bike paths and trails that link with the city’s transport network. renew the Warrnambool harbour facilities and upgrade sports playing fields.
Her other goals include completing the city centre renewal project, get Stage Two of the Warrnambool Base Hospital redevelopment built, upgrade the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village and get work underway on the further development of Warrnambool airport.