It's Day 1 of the Shoalhaven Mayoralympics and up to the starting blocks step our two competitors, Kaye Gartner and Jemma Tribe.
Both these women bring to this race significant community service resumes and each benefits from the experience of managing their own business. Both have also been Shoalhaven Councillors before, so chambers and debates are familiar territory.
Gartner, a complementary medicine practitioner, operated her own medical centre for 25 years. She is an active climate change and women's equality campaigner and gained local government insight and financial management experience through various roles with the Greens.
Tribe is a former journalist and event presenter with a marketing consultancy. Her social enterprise and organisational efforts established the Nowra Community Food Store charity, which she manages, and a "Blueprint' instructional e-book for starting food relief services.
Gartner and Tribe come from different worlds, but they are both peacemakers. So Spark asked how they would deal with the differences that divide us.
Councillors, media and voters tend towards a polarised view of representatives as either progressive or conservative. However, the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government places social cohesion at the core of effective "place-based leadership".
What specific steps would you take, as Shoalhaven Mayor, to bridge the perceived divide between left and right in local council and gain support from those in the wider community who might traditionally see you as opposing their needs?
If elected, how could you win over the "other side"?
Jemma Tribe
'True leaders bring people together, they don’t seek to divide.’ This is a quote I shared with my team this week as we face an ever-increasing surge of online hate and vitriol. I encouraged them to take a social media break if they need to, in order to protect their mental health and to avoid the temptation to retaliate.
While it’s always been hard to ‘stick your neck out’ and do some good without fear of attack, social media has made it even more difficult for those seeking to make a contribution to their community.
We appear to be losing the ability to disagree well, respect one another’s views and find common ground. Those who seek to polarise debate seem to weaponise it as a form of ‘rallying the troops’ for a political purpose.
I admire anyone willing to stop complaining from the sidelines and get involved because it does often come at a significant personal cost. I also find that labels and putting people in ‘boxes’ is very limiting because most people (myself included) don’t fit neatly in any box.
So, with all of that said, if I am lucky enough to be elected Mayor I would set the tone from the top - promoting inclusion and respect. As an Independent I would work across all party lines to collaborate and would avoid categorising issues in terms of ‘political colours’ but giving careful consideration to what is in the best interest of our community based on feedback and evidence.
We can’t always make everyone happy but we can ensure community engagement is genuine and processes are transparent.
Kaye Gartner
In 2021, I worked hard to deliver a progressive council for the Shoalhaven because I spent 5 years as a councillor being relentlessly bullied by male councillors who were definitely conservative. We delivered a Council that is more friendly to women, which some would call progressive. I call it equality.
As Mayor, I see my role is to implement the Shoalhaven Community Strategic Plan; a plan grounded in regular, large surveys of our community to document our common vision. The natural landscapes, bushland, beaches and coastline are what people love and want protected. We also enjoy the community spirit, relaxed lifestyle and small communities and villages of the place we call home.
I feel confident that working to protect the natural environment is what my community wants. The Manyana community wants its unburnt forest protected; the Callala community wants its greater glider habitat more than luxury houses. The Vincentia community wants to keep its golf course and community land more than they want a high-rise development. Burrill Lake people do not want a freeway through their village. I will support these and other communities that value their natural environment and village atmosphere.
However, the broad community is also concerned about housing affordability, over development and the loss of our natural environment. Shoalhaven people want sustainable use of our resources and are concerned about the impacts of climate change.
I would ensure that Affordable Housing developments continue and that already cleared low-value farmland is zoned for housing, not bushland. I would expand circular economy initiatives like the award-winning Microfactory and the Materials recycling facility; I would recharge the installation of renewables and get the cost reduction benefits of solar into our communities. I understand the complexity of these issues and the growing concern – especially amongst our young – that we address the impacts of climate change.
Knowing that the broader community wants this work done – because they have told us so, I will not be distracted by media polarisation or unfounded perceptions of division. This is place-based leadership.
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Got a question to ask Jemma Tribe or Kaye Gartner? Post it in the comments or email it to thesparkshoalhaven@gmail.com
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