Why is Cheryl Gaedtke nominating as Councillor for the Somerset Regional Council?

The old cliché that “life wasn’t meant to be easy” is one which has more relevance to the office of Councillor than it does to many other occupations or callings.  The office of Councillor is a political office. Council decision-making is a political process.  That means that it is about dealing with and assessing different and often conflicting demands, aspirations and philosophical perspectives in an attempt to get to an outcome for a particular matter which, in the individual Councillor’s personal opinion, represents the best result for the community as a whole, consistently with the Councillor’s duty under the Local Government Act 2009.

During my career with Kilcoy Shire Council, I had a very amicable professional relationship with our Councillors. I experienced a great deal of professional satisfaction as a team member of a small rural Council by balancing its annual budget and providing the best possible service to its ratepayers.  My ambition has always been to stand for Council.   After 30 years of Local Government experience I understand entirely the “glue” that holds a community together.

I am passionate about our region and believe that we live in an area that has the potential to develop more successfully with long term vision, correct approach, approved attitude and sound management strategies. I want to see our region encourage business growth, encourage two way communications and acknowledge and reach community expectations.  I advocate for benchmarking and tracking our communities’ overall satisfaction with our council’s performance in areas such as:- basic services and infrastructure; community lifestyle services; managing the region; customer services/communication; and qualities of council.

As your Councillor, I understand that making decisions will affect our community and it is therefore important to have effective decision-making skills. University has broadened my outlook and given me a much wider perspective on diverse social matters.  As President of the Kilcoy Chamber of Commerce & Community Inc. over the past 2 years, I understand the needs of local businesses and the expectations of our local community.  My length of service to Local Government provides me with invaluable leadership skills, experience and knowledge.  I also understand and respect values such as integrity and empathy.