The Labor Party team standing for Kiama Council in the upcoming local government elections … Lucy Abood, Clare McInerney, Imogen Draisma, Harry Ledger and Stuart Larkins. Photo: Supplied.
Three new faces will join the Kiama Labor ticket for the 14 September local government elections.
Current councillors Deputy Mayor Imogen Draisma and Stuart Larkins will stand again and will be joined by Lucy Abood, Harry Ledger and Clare McInerney.
The ticket has been endorsed by the Kiama Labor branch, which has more than 100 members.
Kiama ALP branch president Katelin McInerney said the team reflected the need for intergenerational civic leadership in council and the community.
“Imogen and Stuart have done a great job on council in the face of difficult challenges,” she said.
“The additional three members bring both energy and experience to the team.”
Mother-of-two Lucy Abood has a background in town planning and brings a passion for sustainable development, affordable housing and early childhood education.
“As a mother of two young children, ensuring we have quality early childhood education, affordable housing options, and a liveable environment for families is extremely important to me,” Lucy said.
“I will be a strong voice advocating for these issues and more if elected to council.”
At just 19, Harry Ledger is likely to be one of the youngest candidates to nominate for council. He is currently studying law, politics, philosophy and economics at the University of NSW.
Clare McInerney has lived in Kiama for 35 years. As a retired high school teacher and deputy principal, she is a strong advocate for public education and has taught students in the region for many years.
Cr Draisma said it was important the new council remained focused on its financial sustainability and governance into the future.
“Within the next term of council we will still have the Performance Improvement Order for two years,” she said.
“During our term, Cr Larkins and I pushed hard for transparency and financial accountability as we believe the leaders of our community should be trustworthy, open and honest with constituents.
“I am seeking re-election, along with Cr Larkins, as we believe there needs to be a mixture of returning and new councillors to ensure local decision-making stays in local hands and that our council remains a non-amalgamated entity.”
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