MILDURA Rural City Council candidate Racheal Fyfe wants everyday people to feel more connected to council’s strategy and decisions.
The leadership and management teacher, who has been involved with several local boards, has announced she will be contesting October’s election.
Ms Fyfe, 39, said if elected she would prioritise giving the people a voice.
“Sometimes I feel like we’re not clearly represented around the council table, and I want people to have someone representing that voice of the community and that’s what I believe I can offer,” she said.
“Although I don’t know everything, I’ve definitely got an awareness or a contact in a diverse range of aspects of our community, so I think that can benefit us as well, to have that broader perspective and insight into decisions that we need to make as a council.”
The TAFE teacher chairs the Northern Mallee Leaders board, is deputy chair of Mildura City Heart and has also been involved with Mildura Relay for Life, the Victorian Cancer Council and Slow Food Mildura.
She lives in Mildura and has two children, and said a passion for the community was behind her decision to run for council.
“I’ve always had a passion in leadership and management, strategy, vision, purpose — and I think this is just taking it to a different level at a community level, and it’s for a community that I love,” she said.
“I’m not born and bred in Mildura, but I’ve chosen to live here and chosen to raise my family here.”
Some of the issues Ms Fyfe said she was passionate about included the level of anxiety at all age groups, the need for tough conversations about mental health and domestic violence, and problems caused by red tape.
But she said she would listen to what the community’s priorities were.
“Some people will want to be involved, others not, and that’s completely their choice, but I want those people that do want to be involved to be able to have that on a practical day-to-day level,” she said.
