LGA 'Meet the Candidates' night at Barraba
“Meet the Candidates” forum organised by “About Barraba Inc” held on Wednesday 11th September 2024.
Information and photo submitted by Julie Williams.
Fifteen out of twenty-four candidates for the Tamworth Regional Council election attended the “Meet the Candidates” forum at 7pm at the Barraba Bowling Club, as well as about fifty locals. Organisers were happy with these numbers, especially as the people from Tamworth had to give up their evening and drive home after the event, which was chaired by David Kelly. The candidates were: Gemma-Lea Tolmie, Brendon North, Heidi Williamson, Charles Impey, Judy Coates, Jeff Budd, Russell Webb, Bede Burke, Brooke Ryan, Tom Robinson, Laura Hughes, Stephen Mears, Matt Sharpham, Marc Sutherland and Daniel Gillett. Five of these were current councillors.
Unfortunately, there was not enough time to discuss topics in detail, but the issues talked about included clarification that Barraba has not been “downgraded to a village” in any official capacity and is in fact still classified as a township. There were references to the lack of trust between TRC and the community, and a perception of a lack of transparency. It was suggested that there could be the occasional council meeting held in Barraba and other outlying areas to try to build better communications. Another possibility for the future was to consider a ward system for the region. If residents feel they are not getting problems resolved by council staff, then contact councillors directly.
After the meeting, residents were able to mingle with candidates over food and drink and continue informal discussions.
Thank you to “About Barraba” for organising a well-run and informative meeting.