MAYOR Geoff Kettle won’t say whether he’s considering running as an independent at the next state election.
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Reports are rife that the Goulburn Mulwaree mayor is weighing up a tilt. But on Monday he said he was not prepared to comment on the matter.
“I’m not confirming or denying anything,” Cr Kettle told the Post. “…I know those reports are out there but those people (spreading them) should be more concerned about getting our state member (Pru Goward) re-elected.”
The Mayor said he was “still very much a member of the Liberal Party” and was working very hard with Ms Goward. Cr Kettle is also the Liberal Party’s Goulburn Electorate Council chairman.
But he strongly criticised Premier Barry O’Farrell three weeks ago. He slammed the then impasse over the seat of Goulburn between The Nationals’ Katrina Hodgkinson and Ms Goward.
At the time, Cr Kettle said he had told Mr O’Farrell “to sort it out or else.”
The Post quizzed him whether this meant he was considering running as an independent, but Cr Kettle refused to comment, saying his intentions would “become clear in the future.”
He said he wanted the Premier to start making decisions rather than “procrastinating,” and that people had been “consulted to death” over key planning, local government and Local Land Service reforms.
This newspaper understands Mr O’Farrell rebuked him for his comments.
A political future would not be out of the question for Cr Kettle who has served as Mayor since 2010 and previously worked as an electoral officer for former Hume MP Alby Schultz.
His entry into the race would put a spanner in the works, just as the Coalition has resolved its candidate for the seat. In addition, Labor Senator Ursula Stephens is still deciding whether she’ll run for Goulburn after her Senate term ends in June.
Goulburn Labor Electoral Council chairman Jason Shepherd has said two other people were also interested in standing for pre-selection. Meantime, the Greens have endorsed a candidate.
Former convenor Bill Dorman said the party would publicly announce the person at the end of next week. The candidate had requested anonymity until he returned from a holiday with his family.
“He’s from the electorate, (the part currently in Burrinjuck but will become part of Goulburn in 2015) and he’s been a Greens member for 10 to 15 years,” Mr Dorman said.
“He’s very excited to be running.”
Mr Dorman cited education, the fast train, coal seam gas mining and climate change as major election issues.
“We are pro wind farm but we are not in favour of the status quo and the divide and conquer mentality where one person’s block has turbines and another person’s doesn’t,” he said.
“We find that very divisive but we as a country and community need that power. It has to come from somewhere but it has to be addressed more seriously.”
The local branch has elected a new committee, which Mr Dorman described as an exciting generational change.
Behazin Jafari is the new convenor, Alex Ferrara – treasurer, his daughter, Leah Ferrara the secretary and Ren Gordon the members’ secretary.
The Christian Democrats Party (CDP) is also joining the election race. Member Adrian Van Der Byl told the Post he expected to be endorsed as the candidate for the seat of Goulburn.
The 60-year-old Tallong man, who has a background in telecommunications and electronics stood at the last Hume election and the 2007 state poll.
“This will be my third bout of punishment,” he quipped.
As of Monday, he was the only person to have lodged interest in party pre-selection for Goulburn.
The CDP met on Monday to finalise candidates. Mr Van Der Byl said the local branch was supporting him.
“(In terms of electoral issues) we are for the maintenance and defence of freedom of speech and civil liberties. I’m not one for political correctness,” he said.
“…We are (also) particularly interested in maintaining our position in the Upper House so if we get an extra person in there (besides Fred Nile) then as far as I’m concerned, we’ve had a victory.”
Mr Van Der Byl hoped to hit the hustings soon.