Councillor Cheryl Gaedtke – Listening to the People

Councillor Cheryl Gaedtke – Listening to the People  – Week 4 of the Campaign trail

It has been a very clean and respectful election to date, and I do not expect that to change. I have enjoyed taking part in three “Meet the Candidates” nights, Glamorgan Vale – Monday 16 March; Lowood – Tuesday 17 March and Somerset Civic Centre – Wednesday 18 March. Thank you, to all organisers for providing the opportunity for the public to attend these functions and to meet their candidates.
At these functions, it was expressed by some ratepayers that they share concerns about the condition of their roads. These concerns will be brought back to Council for further clarification. It was also pointed out that the lack of footpaths is a concern to some of our residents. The need to examine associated policies and procedures was discussed as well. I believe the strongest identified matter, was that our residents expect to see their Councillors out and about.

If re-elected, I would support organising open sessions where Councillors and residents can meet and chat about matters of importance. A neighbouring council organises what they refer to as “Council’s Listening Tour” and provide in advance various dates, times and locations where this valued networking will take place. I am also very supportive of regional surveys, which would provide connectivity with all residents, and provide council with a snapshot of its performance as seen through the eyes of its constituents.

I reiterate that Local Government Association of Queensland conducted recent research that found Queenslanders’ satisfaction with their local councils has increased this year compared with satisfaction levels reported in 2018. The research provided feedback that Queenslanders want councils to get on with their job and are not interested in playing the political games that occupy those in other levels of government. Sixty percent of those surveyed were satisfied with their local council, a marked improvement of the 55 percent in 2018.

I look forward to continuing my hard work and achieving the best for our communities over the next four years if re-elected. You can read the questions as presented to the Candidates through various providers, by taking a tour on my website, I have listed questions with my responses. www.cherylgaedtke.com/news