By XAVIER SMERDON
THREE Wyndham Councillors have declared they will be throwing their hats into the ring when the City’s next Mayor is determined next week.
Councillors Bob Fairclough, Glenn Goodfellow and three-time Mayor John Gibbons, have each confirmed they want the top job.
Cr Goodfellow said he felt he would be able to offer the “generational change” that Wyndham needed in a Mayor.
“When you look at Wyndham’s demographics, nearly over 80 per cent of the people are young families with a mortgage,” Cr Goodfellow said.
“I believe the previous Mayors have laid the foundation stones, and I think the next Mayor should be someone who is more reflective of our younger, growing community.”
Cr Fairclough said while he would continue to advocate for better infrastructure and reduced traffic, he would also focus on more community engagement.
“I would be encouraging much more teamwork between the residents, councillors and the council staff,” Cr Fairclough said.
“We need a lot more community engagement and additional community consultation.
“I’ve been a fairly longstanding councillor and I think I’m ready to step up to the next level and improve our engagement with the community.”
Cr Gibbons said he felt that he would bring experience to the role, as he is currently finishing his 17th year on the council.
“I think I’ve got a bit of experience behind me,” Cr Gibbons said.
“We’ve got to put someone in there that can do the job.
“I’ll just be putting my hand up and then I’ll wait and see what happens on the night.”
Each councillor denied that Wyndham Council was in turmoil, with a string of controversies over the last year.
“We’re not off track, we just need to communicate our message to the community better,” Cr Goodfellow said.
“We need good constructive dialogue back and forth.”
Current Mayor Heather Marcus and Deputy Mayor Marie Brittan said they were both considering their options as to whether or not they would contest the Mayoralty.
The Mayor will be decided on Wednesday 6 November at a statutory meeting at the Wyndham Civic Centre.
