Vote me in: Wilmot

By RUSSELL BENNETT
A VOCAL crusader in the fight to save Cockatoo’s McBride Street kinder is putting her hand up for a spot on Cardinia Shire Council.
Leticia Wilmot has lived in the hills for more than 20 years and has been a volunteer on more than a dozen local committees.
She said it was this spirit of working for the community that had inspired her to put her hand up as a Ranges Ward candidate.
But she also said her experience in fighting for the McBride Street kinder left a bitter taste in her mouth over how local residents were being ignored by council.
“People here were dismissed completely,” she said.
“You can’t do that to small communities.
“If people in the hills feel like they’re missing out or aren’t being heard, that’s their reality and it’s up to their councillors to prove otherwise.”
Mrs Wilmot has long attended Ranges Ward meetings and is involved with the planning for a proposed Eastern Dandenong Ranges Community Forum focussing on bushfires.
She has also participated in groups for the Alma Treloar Reserve Master Plan and the McBride Street Renewal Project and has been a member of the Cockatoo Township Committee and Cockatoo Primary School council.
“I am asking voters in the Ranges Ward to elect me because I am passionate about the area, and I am dedicated to making it an even better place to live,” she said.
“I believe everyone should have greater access to consult with council about the things which affect them daily.
“If elected, I will endeavour to represent the voices of residents in Ranges Ward and not just my own point of view.”
Mrs Wilmot also said it was “important to have a number of women elected to the next council.”
“Having women elected to council adds another perspective to the decision-making process and provides a greater balance,” she said.
In other Ranges Ward news, outspoken Pepi’s Land campaigner and Emerald resident Peter Nodin has dismissed rumours of his candidature.
As part of her campaign launch, Mrs Wilmot has created an online survey to hear from as many Ranges Ward residents as possible. It is available at www.surveymonkey.com/s/QBYD57Z and closes on 20 July.