FORMER University of New England chancellor John Cassidy, Armidale Dumaresq councillor Margaret O’Connor and Bundarra-based Uralla councillor Bob Crouch are among the 27 candidates in the Northern Tablelands Local Land Services election.
Voting closes at 5pm next Wednesday, with the three elected candidates to be named on Friday 14 March.
An initiative by the State Government, NSW has been split up into 11 regions, managed by 11 local boards.
Each region is accountable for delivering services that add value to local industries, enhance natural resources, protect industries from pests and disease and help communities respond to emergencies like flood, fire and drought.
Local boards, headed by local chairs, work closely with farmers, landholders and communities.
All the local chairs form the LLS Board of Chairs. The LLS Board of Chairs is led by the LLS Chair of the Board of Chairs, John Macarthur-Stanham.
The Northern Tablelands LLS includes the Inverell, Tenterfield, Glen Innes Severn, Guyra, Uralla, Armidale Dumeresq and Walcha municipalities.
To be able to vote in the elections, landholders must have registered last month.
Voter enrolment across the 11 Local Land Services regions has averaged about eight per cent of those eligible to vote.
In the Northern Tablelands, enrolment numbers were at almost 12 per cent of those eligible to vote.
“While this is a disappointingly low base of voters who will determine the results of the first regional elections, it is important to provide some context to that result,” Mr Macarthur-Stanham said.
“While the new Local Land Services structure has been successful in attracting significantly more candidates than previous Livestock Health and Pest Authorities elections, Local Land Services has not, at its first attempt, been successful in attracting higher levels of voter support.
“Local Land Services has both a challenge and a responsibility to increase the proportion of land holders voting in future elections.”
THE CANDIDATES
Daryl Paull, David Pearson, Margaret O’Connor, Nigel Scott, Daniel Ryan, Allan Miller, Robert Mason, Blair Smith, Nigel Brown, Trevor George, David Worsley, Timothy Norton, Ross King, Robert Costello, Robert Spreadborough, High Cordingley, Richard Croft, Deni McKenzie, Bob Crouch, Bill O’Halloran, Andrew Peterson, James (Alan) Swales, John Cassidy, Robert Lenehan, Archie Cameron, Rolf Rebner, Lorraine Gordon.
