A New Beginning?

 With only a day before the election I’ve been thinking about what an amazing journey I have been on these past few months. Although the Blue Mountains City Council has left a sour taste in many mouths I can at least say if nothing else I have made many new strong friendships and done many things I never thought I would have to do. I am proud to be part of a group that stood up to right an injustice of greed and power. I am very impressed with the numbers of people that have supported us in the Mountains and it just goes to show how community and environment focused we all are.

I would like to thank you all for your support and the members of BACG for being such an outstanding team. I would also like to thank Brent for helping us out and being there from the beginning. He has truly show he’s passionate commitment to the community and the environment. I would especially like to thank Councilor Eleanor Gibbs whom was our defender at the beginning and the only one to truly stand up for the Blue Mountains Community by proposing the council follows it’s own policies and to vote for Community Consultation. She gave us a the drive to go the distance and is a great women whom I admire, thanks EL.

One might think by the tone of this post that we are at an end? Well you would be right! We are hopefully at a turning point with a new beginning just round the corner with only a few of the current councilors running for election. The community of the Blue Mountains has an opportunity to start with a clean slate. A chance to start a new council where community consultation is of a high priority and not something you do when it’s convenient or come post event as a box ticking exercise. Community Consultation should not be twisted and bent to suit the means of an outcome. It should be accessible and aimed at a broad range of people and user groups and be aimed at achieving a best outcome for all.

The new council has an obligation to make sure what has happened to the people of Blackheath doesn't happen again to anyone living on the Blue Mountains. It has an obligation to review what has happened and seek a stop work/sale of the site until alternatives have been investigated, full independent reports are completed and made public. And finally a FULL COMMUNITY CONSULTATION process has been put in place prior to any approvals or recommencement of the project. Anything less than this is a failure of leadership and a failure of service to the community of the Mountains.

The new councilors should always remember they have an obligation to serve the community that voted them in and should not be puppets to the parties they support. Big party politics has no place at a community level! And of course not be controlled by the managers of the BMCC. The managers are there to serve the councilors not the other way round as it currently stands.

All we are asking is that the council does the right thing by the community they serve. I am feeling confident the new council will see the error of the last and do the right thing by all of us. I would like to wish the new councilors well and look forward to a new beginning in the mountains.