You'll be the longest serving councillor now Brad Luke is leaving, what's motivating you to run again?
I have been on council for 13 years. The first six I was a councillor and for the next seven I've been lord mayor. I have a really great team, and nothing would happen in the city without [a] collaborative approach and really good teamwork.
I had early success as a councillor effecting change in the city. I initiated the coastal renewal and Bathers Way projects. It's been a real privilege to serve as lord mayor for a second term.
I have very dedicated staff and we've really developed a shared vision between, not only the council, but different levels of government, civil society and our stakeholders for Newcastle and the region.
How does this past term compare to your others?
We've seen some of the most significant challenges we've faced in recent history with the pandemic.
We've doubled how much we spend on infrastructure throughout the city, protected local jobs, delivered new and improved facilities. We've accelerated investment in open spaces like off-leash dog parks. We became the first council in NSW to use 100 per cent renewable energy in operations.
We've built 13 new playgrounds, upgraded sporting facilities, delivered new cycleways and secured funding for the art gallery expansion. In general, we've delivered for Newcastle.
Is there anything you reflect on, or think council could have done better?
Absolutely. Reflection is a very important part of leadership. We always need to look for ways to connect with our community ... in the age of social media.
It has been very challenging with a couple of councillors - we've seen Kath Elliott suspended ... and Allan Robinson having to apologise. I hope that the next term of council ... we will have the opportunity to have civil discourse. You do need to have debate, it's healthy, but it has to be at a level of civility that reflects the importance of Newcastle to the state and national economy.
When you're rolling out big infrastructure projects, there is always challenges and taking stock of what went well and what didn't and making sure the next time you roll out a program you're doing it in an optimal way is the best way to serve the community.
Why has council been reluctant to release information this term, particularly about its administration move and Supercars? Can it claim to be an open and transparent organisation?
We are one of the most open and transparent councils across NSW. We have open diaries, we have monthly financial reporting. The premise of the question I would categorically disagree with. That has just been a smear campaign that has been run by political opponents for their own gain.
The move to 12 Stewart Avenue ... there was four different projects: moving the staff, creating a digital library, moving the council chamber and the emergency operations centre.
Every one of those tenders was an open and transparent process that was either reported to and voted on by council, it was publicly available on council's website. That process for the move has been followed to the tee in terms of the requirements under the Local Government Act.
When we finished the project, we not only took out front-page advertising in the Newcastle Herald with the final costs ... we also distributed to every household in Newcastle all of the financial information. I don't know how we could have been more open and transparent about the total costs.
I know people wanted information as the projects were rolling out, but that information sat with contractors and third-party people.
Labor has been accused of spending on "vanity projects" instead of renewing infrastructure, how do you respond to that? Is reducing the infrastructure maintenance backlog a priority?
My focus is getting the job done. We have doubled our infrastructure budget. We've accelerated our investment in public open spaces .. park renewals, new master plans, playgrounds, cycleways.
We've also tackled the challenges of having our staff in unfit working environments and moving them to purpose facilities.
The ocean baths have needed upgrades for decades and not only have we committed to it in the last election, we've allocated $13 million to doing it. It's only a Labor council that has been able to deliver such a significant amount of spending.
Newcastle, particularly the city centre, has changed significantly in recent years - how do you see it evolving over the next decade?
Housing affordability is going to be the number-one issue all levels of government need to address.
At [council] we're pulling as many levers as we can. We've set up the 15 per cent mandate to try and incentivise any extra development, we've been the first council to sign an MoU with the NSW government to renew and build more social housing ... I want to ensure we're protecting our unique liveability and environment and that's why we're continuously investing in bushland and park upgrades.
We also have a challenge of protecting jobs and making sure we have a diverse range of employment opportunities.
A final message to voters?
The Labor team is the only team with a track record and experience of delivering for Newcastle. The city has never looked better. We've affected real change, transformational change, and I ask for your support to allow my team to continue that delivery.
