By Christine de Kock
THE worst kept secret is out, Maribyrnong City Independent councillor Catherine Cumming will run for the state seat of Footscray.
Cr Cumming announced her intentions to local newspapers last week.
“It’s the worst kept secret,” she said.
“But the community has been asking me to run.
“This election will be fought on local issues – they have the confidence in me because I have been councillor for last 10 years and am known.’
Cr Cumming ran in the last state election and secured about 11 per cent of the vote as an Independent.
“So I have been easily able to juggle my family duties and council duties and I will have no trouble juggling a state election.”
Cr Cumming said that as she had been a full-time councillor for the past 18 months she did not believe that she would have any trouble coping with the demands of an election and maintaining her position on council.
The Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA) believes councillors running in the state election should step aside for the period of the election campaign.
Councillor Michelle MacDonald intended to submit a notice of motion at the 15 August council meeting asking that councillors endorse the VLGA’s position on the issue.
However, Cr MacDonald withdrew her motion as she had not discussed it with fellow councillors before the meeting.
“I hadn’t spoken to other councillors about it so I had agreed to withdraw it so we could talk about it,” she said.
“Mind you she (Catherine Cumming) didn’t discuss it with the rest of us…. now that she said she is a candidate I’ll be definitely putting the motion forward again because I think it is important to have controls and procedures around handling elections.”
Cr MacDonald said she would expect Cr Cumming not to use the council’s resources to run her campaign.
“I don’t want town hall to become state campaign head quarters,” Cr MacDonald said.
Cr Cumming said she would not be using council resources.
Cr MacDonald said: “This is not about Catherine herself, it’s about any councillor, I’d like to make this an ongoing policy of council for Federal elections as well.
The City of Wyndham has two councillors running in the state election.
Cr MacDonald refused to comment on Wyndham’s Labor councillor Tony Barlow participating in State politics.
“I’m not on Wyndham Council, Maribyrnong is my concern and that’s my sphere of influence, what I can do to make Marib-yrnong a better place and Marib-yrnong Council accountable is what I will do.”
