8 Priorities For North Adelaide for the 2022 term of Council

1. We must act to stop inappropriate development in North Adelaide by voting for candidates who will act on your behalf. I’ve heard your concerns about high-rise, high-density buildings springing up in North Adelaide at the expense of the ambiance of our historic conservation zone. We must have a clear statement of what we want our neighbourhood to look like with a City Plan that sets out a vision for every street if we’re to have any chance of saving it. 

2. Fix our roads and footpaths. Since 2018 the Team Adelaide Council has been spending an average of less than 60% of the money it should have spent on maintaining roads, footpaths and traffic lights. Residents are saying their footpaths are trip hazards and our main streets like O’Connell Street are being neglected. Indeed, our whole City desperately needs a clean-up.

3. Bring back on-street parking permits for residents. I and Anne Moran persuaded Council to start a scheme where for a small fee you could affix a sticker on your windscreen to allow you to park in front of your house without fear of a parking ticket. Councillor Couros and her Team Adelaide axed it for no good reason. It must be re-instated. And we need to create school drop off zones in North Adelaide to improve safety

4. Council has repeatedly voted down my efforts to protect us from e-scooters risks. We need to keep them off footpaths where high numbers of pedestrians mean there are risks of serious injury and we need to introduce e-scooter docking zones for pick up and returns so they’re not littering our footpaths and streets. 

5. Bring back the pensioner and retired persons rate rebate. Quietly axed by the current Council last year the rebate costs less than $75,000 a year but helped so many residents on low or fixed incomes. In these times of high inflation, we should be helping seniors rather than making life tougher for them.

6. We must have better, stronger and competent financial management. Did you know Council has accumulated around $50 million debt through operating deficits (that started before Covid) over the past 4 years? Council’s long-term financial position has been distorted by the removal of expected costs from documents (in one case $55 million of debt has “disappeared”). Has anyone mentioned $70 million of property is being sold off … everything from car parks to Council housing … that will strip away your assets and just to make Council’s books look better? 

7. We have to end the City of Adelaide’s unhealthy secrecy culture that led to the suppression of the 88 O’Connell Street contract and which hides Council blunders and embarrassments. No wonder media call Council meetings the Chamber of Secrets. 

8. Our Park Lands must be protected. In the past four years there were proposals to take Park Lands for a new administrative building off Jeffcott Street, for a high school, for a hospital car park and for a basketball stadium – I opposed them all but all were supported by the majority of Team Adelaide. The Park Lands belong to us and our children’s children.

HELP ME TO SECURE GREAT OUTCOMES FOR OUR COMMUNITY IN 2022-2026!