Aspiring Kiama councillor candidates are invited to learn about the role. Photo: Kiama Council.
Kiama Council will hold an information session for community members considering standing as a councillor in the September local government elections.
The session on Tuesday, 14 May, will be run by experienced educator, mentor and former councillor Jenny Dowell.
She has delivered councillor professional development training for the past eight years and held the role of Mayor Mentor since 2016.
It is designed to help people interested in becoming a councillor to gain a better understanding of the role and responsibilities of an elected member of the council.
Kiama Council CEO Jane Stroud urged potential candidates to grab every opportunity to unpack what their roles and responsibilities will be as part of the “very big and complex business” that is the council.
“The role of a councillor is quite different to the role of an operational staff member or the bureaucracy and defining that for them at the get-go is quite important,” she said.
“I think you really need to be committed to the community and want to make a difference, but you also need to understand that you are in effect operating as a board, because that’s the greatest challenge for any councillors.
“Some [councillors] want to be in the weeds, telling staff what to do, and that’s actually not the role of a board. The role of the board is around vision and strategy and direction setting.”
The session will cover:
- The benefits and importance of local government
- Understanding the role of the council, the role of a councillor and the mayor
- A typical council structure
- Challenges of the role and how to meet them
- The importance of diverse representation on the council
- Community representation, speaking on key issues and how to do this confidently
- Meeting procedures and the rules of debate
- Support available, including information, networks and professional development
- Introduction to local government jargon and what it means.
Local government elections will be held across NSW on 14 September.
The pre-election candidate information session is on Tuesday, 14 May, from 5 – 8:30 pm at The Pavilion. Click here to register.
Loading ...
