To those who will this weekend be named as the new City of Greater Bendigo council, congratulations.
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You have been chosen by the people of your ward, because they believe you will give them the best voice.
You are there to advocate and lead on their behalf and you now hold the power to make decisions that will impact on their lives.
It is indeed an exciting and perhaps overwhelming time for you.
But with that comes responsibility.
You are now expected to have an understanding of what is expected of a councillor, and good governance.
You are required to be honest, ethical, reliable, approachable and knowledgeable.
The Municipal Association of Victoria says good governance exists when a government governs for, and on behalf of, its community. When it is participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective, efficient, equitable, inclusive and law abiding.
In Bendigo, we have seen what happens when some of these principles are not followed.
We want diverse and strong views, but we have seen how extremism can marginalise, denigrate and divide our people.
We have seen how a city can be portrayed to a national and indeed global audience when this happens.
We do not want this for Bendigo.
Some candidates were opaque about their reasons for standing for council - and in the coming months, we will come to understand your motivation.
We expect you to bring your views, and those of your ward, to the table. But we also expect you to have considered, respectful debate when a range of views are put forward.
Your job is not to persuade others to share your views, although there may be times when strong leadership is required. It is to listen, learn, understand. To connect and engage. Only then can you make sensible decisions about what is in the best interest of our city. Our people.
Without prejudice.
You must decide early in your term how you will resolve disputes and then stand united.
We cannot have another tumultuous period of internal bickering, personal insults, costly code of conduct panel hearings and disunity.
None of this is good for our city.
As a councillor, your ambition should be to see our city grow and prosper. To build a stronger community.
For our city to move forward, we require councillors who respect each other and feel safe and comfortable to put forward different views.
We need you to focus on making thoughtful decisions and not get distracted by personalities.
You have been trusted to set the strategic direction and policies for one of the state's most vibrant and fastest-growing municipalities.
Your community will hold you accountable if you don't do this - and so too, will this newspaper.
Nicole Ferrie
Editor, Bendigo Advertiser
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