Tim Looker OAM for Council

The majority of those who will vote have done so by now but there is still plenty of time to have your voice heard.

Vote for true local candidates who live in the ward.

1. Tim Looker
2. Monique O'Donohue
3 Will Miller

I have no arrangement with the other two but they live in the ward. The other candidates do not.

Next to Eblen Subaru was a grand mansion. It was what you saw when heading up Broadway towards Brighton Road.
Eblen’s wanted to fully renovate the house and landscape the property to be a district asset. They also wanted to put some office functions in the house.
Planning was refused! No, no, no. Commercial use not allowed in a residential zone.
So the grand old house was sold and demolished.
Now the grounds are full of units, no landscaping, just boxes. But they are residential!

Big deal. The district is poorer for the loss of such a building.

A planning problem.

So pleased to be attending the world premier of “Salt of the Earth” at the Adelaide Film Festival.
It’s the story of my friend and neighbour, Peter Brinkworth” creator of the Australian icon. Chicken Salt.
“Salt of the Earth” accepted for film festivals around the world as a quirky, documentary.
Congratulations to the team.

The voting papers for Council tell you if the candidate lives in the ward.
This is an issue as 3 of the 6 candidates in Somerton Ward Holdfast Bay do not live in the ward.
Don't vote for outsiders. Vote for true locals.

Vote 1 Tim Looker
Vote 2 Monique O'Donohue
Vote 3 William Miller

These are the 3 candidate who live in the ward.

Tim Looker - Candidate Somerton Ward City of Holdfast Bay.

I think we need a promotion for people to get decent letter boxes. Balancing on my bike to put in flyers would qualify me for an Olympic gymnastics medal.

I seek your first preference vote to return me to Council.
As an experienced Councillor, former deputy Mayor I understand the issues and have a record of good service to the community.

Your second and third preference votes should go to the two candidates who live in the ward not outsiders trying to game the system .

Voting papers will tell you who lives in the ward and who doesn’t.

Vote 1 Tim Looker

Votes are in the post and I urge you all to look at who lives in your area and vote for them.
Councillors should live in the ward not cherry pick where they might get lucky by deceiving the community.
That is not commitment to community service.

Its a shame there is no viable contest for Mayor.
Elections are times to push reset and locking in the same people for another 4 years is a waste of an opportunity to change leadership.
Stock exchange guidelines recommend 9 years as after that directors lose their edge and become part of the organisational culture. Ineffective.

Old white men may be out of fashion but that does not mean we are less capable or relevant. I have picked up a lot of experience in all my years and that is what I will bring to council.
Council needs a mix of young and inexperienced as well as old steady hands who know what they are doing and who can try to mentor those who think they do.

With a large number of council candidates not living in the ward where they are running it can only be interpreted as 'gaming' the system for some advantage.
This is not healthy and is not the best for the local community.
We want people who live in the area.

Voting papers on their way soon.
Two things.
Note and vote for those who live in your ward. Many candidates don’t and you need to ask why. But just don’t vote for them.
Beware of how to vote cards. That means a faction and that is not healthy.

On the 14th October to the 20th October the Electoral Commission will the mail out voting packs to those on the electoral roll. Postal votes need to be returned by 5:00 pm on Thursday 10 November 2022.

There have been a lot of cries for increased hours of the Glenelg Police Station and that may be a good things but the Police know more about Policing than local activists so I would like to hear more of what they have to say.
If elected I would ask for a full briefing by the District Commander as to Policing in the area and what is the best way to properly apply Police resources to oversee this area.
Keeping coppers bailed up in a station with their only exercise being toddling down to Cibo may not be the best use of resources.
So I seek professional guidance from those who are expert before I jump on the populist band wagon of thinking a Police shop front in a backstreet is the best we can do.

Consultation is always a problematic area for council and it is still not done well.
There are a number of problems.
Firstly the internet surveys just don't give an honest result. To prove that point some years back I registered my concrete garden gnome "Shaun Gnome" and was able to make submissions under that name. Multiple responses can be made by zealots pushing a cause and this skews the results.
Secondly there is no weighting. My individual submission counts as 1 and a club or association of 500 members also counts as 1.
I would push for a return of the balanced phone survey of random households done by an outside agency. This for the big policy issues.

Council policy can be found here
https://www.holdfast.sa.gov.au/assets/general-downloads/Council/Policies-and-procedures/Council-Policy-Community-Consultation-and-Engagement-Policy.pdf

I have been asked to circulate this petition. Proposals for phone towers at Glenelg Oval keep on coming and being right next to Glenelg Primary school parents have concerns.
https://www.change.org/p/please-revise-decision-to-build-5g-telecommunication-facility-next-door-to-local-school?recruiter=44556714&recruited_by_id=689ded90-72ae-0130-92f2-38ac6f16d25f

Sign the Petition Please revise decision to build 5G telecommunication facility next door to local school!

Sale of community land is an issue and one that must involve thorough consultation with the community. It must not be done in secret as almost happened with the near sale of the Community Centre land.
This is what one candidate promised in a previous election.

Managing our assets – you can only sell them once. Any sale or purchase of community land assets should undergo thorough scrutiny. Our administration needs to be encouraged to make solid, balanced arguments so that members can consider all the social, environmental and economic impacts of a proposal. In this way, transparent, objective decisions can be made.

There is no promise there of consultation just administration need to back their case and that is the problem. The community is left out

It is my privilege to be able to study at UNISA in their Honours Course in Law.
A knowledge of law is very valuable in Council as it impacts every aspect of the organisation.
Congratulations to my good friend David Li (right) who graduated recently with honours. I am with Richard Tran, (left) International student of the year, also an honours student with me at UNISA Law School.

It was a great moment for Glenelg when I moved this motion.

Moved Councillor Looker, Seconded Councillor Patton

Motion C100712/576

1. That the Prudential Review for the ‘Cinema and Car Parking Project’ be accepted.

2. That the Community Land revocation process, including public consultation, commence for the land over which the proposed cinema complex is to be constructed.

3. That a Heads of Agreement be drafted for Council’s consideration regarding the proposal based on the following broad objectives:

a. a cinema complex is developed above the council owned land in the Partridge Street West/Cowper Street/Milton Street precinct;

Most supported but some against.

Those voting for: Councillors Patton, Dixon, Patterson, Looker, Clancy, Donaldson, Lonie, Roe and Yates (9)

Those voting against: Councillors Fisk and Bouchee (2).

The Cinema is a great addition to Glenelg and in 10 years all the fears of the naysayers have not materialised. It was not a covert shopping mall, traffic remains unchanged, houses are not shaded all day .

The voting papers this year will include two extra bits of information.
1. Does the candidate live in the ward?
2. Is the candidate a member of a political party or has been.

Living in the ward is a big one and just common sense.

The political party membership is a bit of a red herring. Its no secret that I am a member of the Labor Party. I ran for Morphett 3 times. Party membership in itself means little as if you think a grassroots member has any say in policy its would be a mistake.
Party membership does help with access to Government and that is handy for a councillor as it means local issues can be passed on to the state decision makers.

Party membership also means little on the council itself as councillors work together on issues rather than ideology. In a past council I worked closely with the late Jim Huckstepp, a conservative Liberal, who I admired greatly for his knowledge and thorough approach to matters.

Council elections are coming up and sadly about 75% of those eligible do not vote. This makes the election an unrepresentative exercise and prone to manipulation.
I think the postal voting system is an unworkable relic and online voting would increase the percentage.
Preferential voting in local government is open to rigging and does not deliver those who have the most support.
The changes to candidate profiles this time will show you who actually lives in the ward, some thing I think is key.

Along with the Buffalo sentiment beat nature, for a while.
Wooden things in the elements don't last.

Council are now looking to remove the H Class Tram at Wigley reserve. Its a wooden structure and at the time I warned that placing it in the weather would not be a good idea and it will deteriorate. The sentimentalists persisted and $120,000 spent on a structure. So after 10 years the tram is rotting and will be removed.
About the same time I warned that the Buffalo was also rotting but to no avail and between the two a large amount of ratepayer funds have been wasted.

We tried to rescind it and failed and then the cost doubled.

"Councillor Clancy moved and Councillor Bouchee seconded that Councillor Lonie places a motion on notice in its next agenda, the effect of which will be to amend/revoke Council’s decision No. C120711/208; namely that Council
1. Subject to positive community feedback, approves a budget of $65,000 from the 2011/12 budget, to construct an appropriate shelter on Wrigley Reserve and to return the H Class Tramcar No. 361 to Glenelg within the next six months.
2. The 2011/12 budget be adjusted at the first quarter review to accommodate this amount.
3. Seek advice on the best method of covering the tram and its structure.

Councillors don't come cheap and that is why i have campaigned to cut the numbers and cut the cost. Last year $539,000 This year $784,500. That's probably because of the election but the election would be cheaper with 4 less councillors.

I surprised a few by running again but there are good reasons to put me back on Council.

An election is a time to refresh council and, having had a break, I ask you to return me as ward councilor. I also ask you to vote for a mix which includes some new members to gain experience.

I live in the ward. 42 years living in Glenelg South I know every street in this ward, know someone in most streets. I am well known as an energetic strong advocate for the issues ratepayers want fixed.

Time off Council has enabled me to nearly complete an Honours Degree in Law. Local Government is a law intensive enterprise and must be run in the way the Local Government Act prescribes so I can apply my skills to good governance and aim and demand a high professional standard.

People come to council with good intentions, its something, we need those inexperienced newbies, but its not enough to enable proper oversight of the $70 million operation that is council.
My tertiary achievements in Law, Science, Education, and Psychology along with 8 years as Councillor, Audit Committee chair as well as experience as a company director gives me the professional skills to fearlessly do that well.

This page shows you some of the things that I have in mind and I hope that this election I can be returned.

Authorised and paid for by Candidate for Somerton Ward Tim Looker 82 Penzance Street Glenelg SA

The fight to get some key Council properties on to the community land register has been resisted by Council administration for over 20 years. This is from the council minutes of 2002. Its is just one of many submissions of support for including properties to make them safe from disposal. It is clear that residents still want this protection and council administrations resist.

Another register that is publicly available is the register of interests of elected members. Here they should declare all their financial details so the public know how they are financed and be safe in the knowledge nothing improper is going on. It is a legislated requirement. One curious thing though is that some elected members have zero income and seem to have not had any for a number of years. https://www.holdfast.sa.gov.au/assets/general-downloads/Council/Registers/Elected-Members_Ordinary-Form-Returns_2021-2022.pdf

www.holdfast.sa.gov.au

One of my achievements in my time as a councilor was to institute a nation leading initiative in transparency in the form of a publicly listed 'land register' showing all the council properties leased out to community groups, how much they pay and the terms of their lease. Despite this being a council resolution the administration, despite reminders, have neglected to keep this up to date.
I include the resolution and the link as it is worth a look.https://www.holdfast.sa.gov.au/assets/general-downloads/Council/Registers/Facilities-Register-2015.pdf

Protection of Community Land is essential as Councils come and go and the temptation to sell off land to fund some pet project is great. In all my involvement with council Alwyndor has been in and out of the mind of those inclined to sell it off. So has the land of the Holdfast Bay Community Centre. It had a close call when council, in confidence was negotiating with the Catholic School to take over a large slice of that public space. It was averted when the knowledge became public. That property is not on the community land register meaning it can be sold off without public consultation. A recent attempt to protect is was shot down. Look below and see who did not put the community best interest at heart and leave this valuable community space at risk

I will be posting copies from the minutes of Council showing you how your current Councillors voted and the issues they supported. It all tells a story that is no longer told weekly in our now vanished Guardian Messenger. No exposure no accountability.

Sutherland Park in Glenelg South is an absolute treasure. If you have a dog then meet up with the locals and if you have kids there is play equipment and green space. As ward councillor I had installed the well used basketball ring.I am proud to say that most of the River Red Gums in the park I planted having grown them from seed. There is one SA Blue Gum I also grew from Kangaroo Island seed. We are missing a park in the 'triangle' in this ward and despite talks for years no property has been procured. With more units flats and no back yards our parks are vital.

In my time on Council there were two controversial projects. The Glenelg Cinema and the Brighton Caravan Park. The naysayers and NIMBYs protested loud and long but now some years on these great community assets are popular and make a significant contribution to our community. The caravan park ,owned by council is profitable, and those profits offset council expenses. The naysayers have vanished. This is typical of progress where loud voices oppose then vanish once they see a great leap forward.

This is how they voted.
Those voting 'for' went against the two reports which said Holdfast Bay Council was 'overrepresented' and that reducing the number of councillors would save a significant amount of money.
Surely a conflict of interest and not putting ratepayers first.

Despite 2 reviews, including overwhelming community feedback to reduce the number and cost of councillors to 8, Councillors voted to keep 12. A reduction of 4 councillors would save $120,000 per year in allowances and on costs.. There is no justification, the workload is not large in a city of 14 square kilometers, but don't stand between a councillor and an allowance.

This is the inconsistency of Council. The following resolution effectively cut funding to the not for profit Holdfast Bay Community Centre, in the middle of the Covid epidemic when the Community Centre was serving lonely and isolated people cut off socially. At the same time Council continues to pay in the region of $60,000 a year to a Victorian "for profit" commercial operator, Belgravia, to run the Kauri Parade Community space. $27,000 is nothing to council but a lot to a community centre doing the work. Councillors then ignored a community petition of nearly 300 signatures from Community Centre users requesting that funding be restored.

I notice of the 6 candidates standing for Somerton just 3 live in the Ward. Local is best so I urge you to look at the voting papers and vote for those who live in the area and question the motives of those who don't. Why dont they run where they live? The three true locals here are Tim Looker, Will Miller and Monique ODonahue.

When I was first elected to Council in 2006 The Bay Discovery Centre had a budget that was out of control. Heading towards $500,000 a year. Good management brought that down and at the same time improved the service. (now down to about net $60,000) The place had lost perspective. When I look at the spending on 'events' today that is an area that needs a good look at. Last year 'events' had expenses of $1.2 million with an income of $226,000 and the ratepayers picking up the rest. Its out of hand. Street parties and fireworks on cold nights are not core business and commercial events must pay their own way.

Residents of this area are fed up with holdups at the Hove Crossing. The project was supported by the residents' association but sabotaged by Councillors.
Its time to bring this important infrastructure project back and stop the delays that waste time and fuel and frustrate travellers.

Last Council by election, in which I topped the primary vote, was marked by dirty tricks including a doctored ballot paper removing my name. This attracted the ire of the electoral commissioner.
This retraction minus an apology was provided.