WENTWORTH Shire mayor Cr Daniel Linklater will seek to retain his leadership role in the next council term.
As one of 12 candidates vying for nine spots on Wentworth Shire council at next week’s election, he said his first term experience as both deputy mayor and mayor had been a steep but enjoyable learning curve.
“I feel like I’m just hitting my straps in terms of building the networks and understanding the system,” he said.
“I’ve been able to, with good support from my councillors, grow into the role.”
Cr Linklater received the most primary votes of any candidate at the 2021 Wentworth Shire election, when more than a quarter of all first preferences were cast for him.
The Gol Gol-based father of two said a diverse range of looming residential, industrial and commercial development made it an exciting time to be part of his local council.
“I’d like our council to be recognised as being open for business, a great place to live, a great place to invest,” Cr Linklater said.
“We do our planning quite well but there’s always room for improvement.
“We really do need to be solutions-oriented, not problems-oriented, and that’s something that if I’m re-elected, I’ll certainly continue to push for that so that right across the council business, we’re on the same page.”
Describing himself as a problem solver, Cr Linklater listed many issues that would be important considerations in the coming four years, including introducing kerbside recycling, freehold land negotiations in Curlwaa, water infrastructure upgrades in Gol Gol and Wentworth, and ways to acquire land for a second recreation reserve in the Buronga or Gol Gol areas.
“If re-elected, one of the things I’ll be asking for is a strategic review of our council road network, particularly how it interacts with the state highways,” he said.
“Working in collaboration with Transport NSW, we prioritise and plan for upgrades that are required right now, to assist the growing residential areas; it’s key to maintaining liveability.”
Another unique proposal he suggested was to extend shared pedestrian and bike paths beyond Knights Road at Gol Gol.
“I would like to see us be able to activate space which is a focus of the NSW Government and have shared paths linking up from Knights Road through to the Trenton Estate Winery,” Cr Linklater said.
“I think that’ll be great for locals and great for tourists and great for our health and wellbeing.”
When it comes to the make up of the next council, Cr Linklater said he hoped multiple candidates from the east of the Shire would be elected to represent the rapid growth of the area.
“Everybody brings some different elements, from the colourful and the charismatic to the more considered,” he said.
“It’s that range of aspirational thinking checked with good analysis that leads to sensible outcomes.”
Following the election, Wentworth Shire would begin its next round of community strategic planning, something Cr Linklater urged the community to more actively take part in.
“That’s very important because basically that sets your mission for the next four years,” he said.
“It’s hard to just come up with ad hoc ideas on the fly and get them implemented if they’re not represented or form part of the underlying strategy of council.
“The purpose of consulting with the community is exactly that, and it’s very important that the community get on board and participate.”
