By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
MAYORAL candidate Ken Jarvis is on a collision course with Geelong councillors over his policy to eliminate their wards.
Mr Jarvis said he would lobby State Government “strongly” to dump council’s ward-based structure in conjuction with changes to Geelong’s directly-elected mayoral system.
But councillors including acting mayor Bruce Harwood last week emphasised the success of the ward system to a State Government municipal review.
Mr Jarvis said the directly-elected mayoral system could only work within a regionally-based council structure so candidates for mayor could run on a senate-style ticket with a reasonable expectation of support.
“The current system is structurally flawed, with 12 disparate councillors elected based purely on local issues,” he said.
Mr Jarvis is a former Geelong mayor and successful businessman who chairs two local boards and has the backing of city powerbroker Frank Costa.
Mr Jarvis’s proposed change to regional councillors was “something for the future”, he said.
“It’s not a major issue in this election and we need to deal with the system as it is. I’m not so naive as to think I can achieve a lot within the current structure, (just) as long as we get a major start to work toward achieving what I want.
“It’s going to be quite hard work in the early stages but it will come down to how well I can communicate my ideas.
“We will have some robust debates, we’re all entitled to our individual positions, and let the best argument win.”
Cr Harwood said dumping the ward system would leave the community and regional parts of the municipality “feeling disconnected” from City Hall.
“It’s the main reason we fought hard to retain the ward structure.”
Cr Harwood said G21, an alliance group of the region’s five councils, was already working on regional development with the input of Geelong councillors.
“To say there is no strategic view is false because without Geelong’s input G21 does not exist.”
Cr Harwood said council was looking forward to a new mayor with fresh ideas and enthusiasm.
“All that will be respected. The councillors will get behind the new mayor and support them 100 per cent.
“We’ll have differences in opinion and robust debates but that’s one of the beauties of local government.”
Crs Andy Richards and Tony Ansett also backed the ward system to the municipal review panel.
Cr Richards said “the big end of town’s” preferred regional system would present “great problems”.
Specific areas such as Geelong’s northern suburbs and the Bellarine Peninsula would be left without the support of designated councillors, he said.
“If there are eight or nine all-in councillors, which councillor do (ratepayers) talk to if they come from a different part of the city?”
