UNFINISHED business has led experienced local government representative Susan Nichols to seek one final term as a Wentworth councillor.
Having held the mayor and deputy mayor positions on both Mildura and Wentworth councils, Ms Nichols has had a storied political career, which began when she was first elected to Mildura Shire in 1992.
She said after three decades in and out of local politics, a vote for her is a vote for experience and the provision of context when decisions are made.
“The current council that’s going out at the moment, they’re virtually all first or second term councillors,” Ms Nichols said. “I think you need some stability and knowledge that goes back further than six to eight years.”
She said while council had faced significant challenges including floods and the pandemic in the recent term, a lot of projects that had long been on the books had started, and she wished to see them through.
“I possibly said last time it would probably be my last time on council, this I’ll definitely say will be my last term on council,” she said.
“But it’s just that Murray Street is not done, the hospital is not done.
“There are a few things that I just want to see to fruition and the mind’s still okay, the body is not quite as well as what it used to be, but it’s just one of those things.”
She said she looked forward to council facilitating considerable development in the shire over coming years, including construction on more than 750 individual lots.
“We have the southern end growing at an enormous rate and infrastructure is being put in the Gol Gol area as it needs to be,” Ms Nichols said.
“The infrastructure in Wentworth is 100 years old, so it needs to be looked at and upgraded in some way.
“We’re an un-subdivided council so therefore we need to look after the whole of the Shire.”
She said her ideal mix of councillors for the coming term would have a variety of age brackets and experiences represented.
“We have 26,500 square km of mass to accommodate with 7500 people,” Ms Nichols said.
“Our rate base, we have to be very, very wise and very, very careful with what we do with it.
“The only thing you really need to be on council is common sense.”
