By VICTORIA STONE-MEADOWS
FORMER Yarra Ranges mayor Tim Heenan has thrown his hat in the ring for the upcoming Yarra Ranges Council elections.
Mr Heenan said he was undeterred by the unknown outcome of a recent representation review of the Yarra Ranges Shire by the State Government.
“I was concerned about what the outcome with the minister will be,” he said.
“I don’t know if I’m running in a multi or single member ward.”
Despite not knowing what the ward structure will be when the elections are called, Mr Heenan said he was familiar enough with the wider community to give full representation.
“I have forged really good friendships with locals and business in Woori Yallock, Healesville, Warburton and Wandin and they care about having a good representative for them,” he said.
“I will really listen to all communities and I’m familiar with all of Yarra Ranges from my time as mayor in 2007 and 2008.
“I had more meetings and more face to face with the community than any other mayor before or after that time.”
Mr Heenan said there are many things he would like to see changed with the Yarra Ranges Council but there are a few specific issues that made him decide to run for council again.
“The nail in coffin for me to stand again was the $28 million for the council offices in Lilydale,” he said.
“I’m passionate about working for the community and I never stopped doing that. Many people know that.”
Mr Heenan said many public funding works had been mismanaged and he wanted to see serious social issues tackled by the council in an effective way.
“Firstly, I want the Yarra Ranges Athletics facility bought up to speed to where it should have been with shade sails for kids and more.
“150 just doesn’t cut it when 5000 competitors are coming with parents and spectators,” he said.
“Secondly, I have a great understanding and respect for homelessness and we should all be working together for everyone to change planning laws to have more social and affordable housing and attract developments to do that.
“At the moment, state and local planning provisions aren’t allowing for development to help the most vulnerable.
Mr Heenan said he would like to see the ageing population of the Yarra Valley taken better care of by local government as well.
“Another thing and a passion in my heart is we are running right down a slippery side of having no aged care accommodation for loved ones,” he said.
Mr Heenan said when he was a member of the 2005 council; he worked very hard towards attracting aged care facility development in the Yarra Ranges.
“We have land owners with huge tracts of land that can’t build on to help their elderly relatives under green wedge divisions,” he said.
Mr Heenan also said he wanted to work towards making volunteer groups in the Yarra Ranges more welcome and cutting some of the fat from the current council arrangement.
“The council is too top heavy,” he said.
“I want to find out what can be done more concisely and efficiently without contractors and if we can make up a lot of outgoing money for things that could be done in house.
“Council have been privatising since the cows came home and I don’t know if it’s amounted to anything,” he said.
Me Heenan said he wanted to see ratepayers’ money spent more effectively and creating a council that is about benefiting the community.
“I am not about spending ratepayer money, making Lilydale offices like a castle,” he said.
“I have a great understanding of what’s going on at grass roots and that’s not just having meetings; we need to get out among the people and give them what they want.
Mr Heenan said he wanted to work toward getting more bang for the ratepayer’s buck and working closely with all communities to deliver services that were desperately needed.
“It’s shouldn’t be all about looking at every last cent but getting quality for ratepayer money,” he said.
“I want to work harder to get State and Federal money and use every opportunity to press the flesh on MPs when the ratepayers want it, not for the MPs benefit.”
Council elections won’t be held until Saturday 22 October this year, but Mr Heenan said he had to announce his intention to stand now.
“I have to do this now,” he said.
“I don’t know when the minister is going to call it (the ward restructure decision) and everyone is holding their breath.
“I can’t hold my breath any longer because there is work that needs to be done.”
