October 20, 2015

Promotion: Growth versus Greed and Neglect

October 07, 2015/ Shane Van Styn

Greed

In years gone by a previous CEO invested City funds into dodgy American investments pursuing growth at all costs with disregard for the wellbeing of our community, in the end losing us as ratepayers millions of dollars.

In 2012, ratepayers were slugged with a rate rise of an average of 27% rather than seeing City administration costs slashed.

There has also been a case put by people in the iron ore industry that Point Moore would make a good port facility/ warehouse area. Imagine what the residents think of that! Who represents those guys?

Neglect

Since 2000 under the stewardship of people who are candidates in this election we saw assets neglected at a City wide level, in the pursuit of an ever growing City. If you can’t even look after your playgrounds how on earth will you look after your growth plans?

Change

The Change that is needed is to begin focusing on what we have and valuing that. We must change our greed and growth at all costs cycle and ensure we can live within our means. We must change and begin listening to our community and deliver quality assets in a low risk, sustainable manner. That is true Change.

Time to Vote

The time to vote is now, so help me make the changes we need as a City and support me for Mayor.

Written and Authorised by Shane Van Styn, 51 Gregory Street Geraldton WA 6530

September 25, 2015

Promotion: Van Styn: Your Chance To Vote Is Now

September 25, 2015/ Shane Van Styn

By now you should of received your postal voting kit. This is your chance to vote for who you trust to set the direction of the City of Greater Geraldton. In reality you really have 2 choices:

1) Vote for a long serving former CEO, a long term former member for Geraldton, or a long term current Mayor and stick with the current way Council is run; Or

2) Vote for someone with new ideas and a new focus.

As a member of the latter group I represent a new focus for Council. One that is focussed on ensuring we get back to basics and deliver the services and assets that our people really want. How will I know what people want? By listening…

Taking the time to vote may seem like something that won’t make a difference but nothing could be further from the truth. You see it is not just the result that matters but the margin of a win that matters.

A larger win shows a mandate to other members of Council that the public have loudly spoken as to how they feel about the direction that candidate has set out during their campaign.

If you think Council should stop wasting money on administration and airy fairy talkfests and get back to providing the basics of roads, recreation, reserves and rubbish then vote for me, Shane Van Styn. If you want to show your support for lower rates I ask you to once again support me and my fight against the crazy rate rises.

C’mon Geraldton, let’s turn out to vote and send a clear message we want our City back listening to and serving the people. Let’s change for the better.

Shane Van Styn – Candidate for Mayor

Written and Authorised by Shane Van Styn, 51 Gregory Street Geraldton WA 6530

September 24, 2015

Promotion: Van Styn: Playground Works Underway Shortly

September 24, 2015/ Shane Van Styn

During our Tuesday meeting I had the pleasure of moving a motion to get works on the playgrounds around Geraldton expedited.

With summer holidays fast approaching it is important that we get the playgrounds open as soon as possible.

The list of parks and their course of action for this financial year are as follows:

Repair play equipment and remove fencing at:

i.              Forrester Park
ii.             GRAMS Reserve
ii.            Webber Park (Waggrakine Hall)

Renew play equipment (including soft fall) and remove fencing at:

i.              Pages Beach
ii.             Rundle Park
iii.            Mahomets Beach
iv.           Geraldton Foreshore
v.            Glendinning Park
vi.           Maitland Park
vii.          Muir Park
viii.         Spalding Park

Remove play equipment and fencing (not including edging and/or soft fall) at:

i.              Clematis Crescent Park
ii.             Iduna Park
iii.            Jenner Court Park
iv.           Levy Street Park
v.            Vincent Street
vi.           34 Alexander Street

Repair works will commence in the coming weeks and renewals will be completed prior to Christmas holidays, subject to supplier availability.

It is noted that some parks are having the equipment removed and not replaced this year. If you have any concerns or wish to discuss a park important to you, please feel free to contact me via email on cr.vanstyn@cgg.wa.gov.au or call me on 0417 910 005.

Together we can change how Council functions and get back to the basics like, playgrounds and parks. It is time for change.

Shane Van Styn: Candidate for Mayor

Written and Authorised by Shane Van Styn, 51 Gregory Street Geraldton WA 6530

September 21, 2015

Promotion: Old V New Leadership: A Clear Choice

September 21, 2015/ Shane Van Styn

Does Geraldton want new leadership and direction or does it wish to remain with the same set of leaders we have had for more than a decade? Postal vote kits will be in your letter boxes this week so you can read the Mayoral candidate profiles for yourself and decide.

Voter turnout in Geraldton typically runs around 30% of eligible voters. Over the last 2 years I have seen electors throw out half a Council and yet still feel as though their message is not getting through. The answer: Increase voter turnout for a stronger message and change the leadership.

There is a great field of candidates in the Councillor elections with a mix of new and existing candidates. Voters really do have a chance this year to set a new direction should they turn out. It certainly won’t take long to read the profiles of the candidates and send back your vote.

If you don’t like what is happening to playgrounds or crumbling infrastructure vote for change. If you don’t like crazy rate rises, again vote for change. Do you want your free tipping back, perhaps kerbside recycling?

If you think Council should stop wasting money on administration and airy fairy talkfests and get back to providing the basics of roads, recreation, reserves and rubbish then vote for me, Shane Van Styn. If you want to show your support for lower rates I ask you to once again support me and my fight against the crazy rate rises.

C’mon Geraldton, let’s turn out to vote and send a clear message we want our City back listening to and serving the people.

Written and Authorised by Shane Van Styn, 51 Gregory Street Geraldton WA 6530

September 17, 2015

Promotion: Geraldton’s $30 Million Cost Of Not Listening

September 17, 2015/ Shane Van Styn

In 2006 whilst 80% of Greenough voters voted against merging with Geraldton, the City went ahead and merged anyway.

In 2011 83% of Mullewa voters voted against merging with Geraldton-Greenough and 80% of Geraldton voters against; again the will of the people was ignored.

These mergers led to a bloated administration that costed ratepayers upwards of $30 million since 2007 based on the $3.6 million we saved this year alone. Ratepayers were right!

When times got tough in early the early 2000’s rather than address costs our leaders decided to invest in failed financial products known as CDO’s, costing the City more than $2 million in lost capital and earnings.

The next solution was in 2012 to increase rates by 27% despite the protests from ratepayers. Astonishingly in 2013 a proposed rise of 7.2% was proposed after a massive public backlash from the year earlier. I fought hard against both of these rises and finally got to see some sense in 2013 when rates were lifted by only 1.5%. I fought for a freeze that year, as I believed we should be looking for savings. In 2015 my message is now getting through.

As Mayor I will ensure the voice of the community is always put to Council and is taken seriously. We need to move on from the old ways of Council not listening and begin respecting the will of the ratepayers. Too often when a ratepayer complains to me about a decision of Council, I ask them why they did not make a submission or attend a meeting and I get in reply “They don’t listen so why bother.” This is a sad state of affairs and we need to change our ways and restore confidence in our Council.

Let’s move on from the errors of our previous ways. Let’s live within our means and get Council focussed on what it is really supposed to be doing; providing day to day municipal services our City needs.

Written and Authorised by Shane Van Styn, 51 Gregory Street Geraldton WA 6530

September 16, 2015

Promotion: What A Load Of Rubbish

September 16, 2015/ Shane Van Styn

We have been hearing a lot of airy fairy statements about nothing by mayoral candidates lately. Catch phrases like “collaboration”, “vibrancy” and the like are everywhere but with a total lack of detail about what it all means. It is time to talk about actions, not gloss over the problems our City has.

Verge side collections this year were cancelled, tip fees introduced and kerbside recycling again missed out. The displeasure with this decision has been brought to my attention numerous times by many people. This week I travelled with a very concerned ratepayer to the back of Utakarra to witness the massive illegal dumping problem. I openly admit to being shocked at the scale of the problem and now believe that the City must reconsider its decision to scrap the verge side collection. Funding for the reinstatement of verge side collections can easily be found from budget savings. Yes a service may need to be scaled back elsewhere but rubbish collection is the most fundamental of services a City delivers.

Kerbside recycling is expensive and delivers a lower environmental benefit than most would think. If however the community want it they have a right to do so. I will call for a community workshop to explain the costs and expected environmental benefits of kerbside recycling and if the community wish to pay an extra levy for the service, then the City should work to make it a reality. The City budget could also be looked at again for savings to fund some of the cost. Ratepayers have the right to be informed on this issue and have a right to prioritise this service.

Council needs to get back to basics and focus on what its real job is. Reserves, roads and rubbish. Afterall, you can’t have a vibrant City if you have rubbish everywhere.

Let’s start listening to ratepayers and providing the services they want. Let’s change for the better.

Shane Van Styn
Candidate for Mayor for the City of Greater Geraldton
https://www.facebook.com/ShaneVanStyn

Written and Authorised by Shane Van Styn, 51 Gregory Street Geraldton WA 6530

September 14, 2015

Promotion: Why Rates Go Up And Playgrounds Close Down

September 14, 2015/ Shane Van Styn

Neglect and a lack of forward planning.

Geraldton has a long history of failing to maintain its assets and the effects of this have really become apparent of late. Remember the Flores / Place Road intersection, the crumbling Recreation Ground grandstand, the derelict railway station building (Tourist bureau) and the completely run down CBD footpath network?

Previous leaders of our City did nothing about these for many years. Rob Jefferies was CEO of Geraldton for 7 years! It was after his period that Tony Brun and our current CEO Ken Diehm began rejuvenating the City. I was on the selection committee to appoint Ken and have complete faith in his ability to deliver on the budget cutbacks required to balance our budget.

This year the City identified savings of $3.6 million. Imagine if the City had of done that since the amalgamation in 2007, which was supposed to deliver savings. That equates to more than $30 million by the end of this year. Think what the City could have done with that money! We could be debt free and we could replace every piece of playground equipment that has recently been removed. We could even have kerbside recycling.

Calling for the budget to be returned to surplus means progressively maintaining assets, to ensure they last longer and getting Council back to the basics of roads, reserves and rubbish. It is nice to have grandiose motherhood statements on vibrancy and economic development but until you can get your basics right it will all be for nothing.

Hiking up rates by the crazy 27% in 2012 and then asking for a further 7.2% the following year is the lazy way of restoring the budget and hurts the very people we are elected to serve. We must live within our means and continually look for ways to do more to ease the financial burden on ratepayers. This means making strong decisions in regards to services and our administration.

Let’s not return the bad old ways of the past, let’s look forward and change our City for the better.