He is attracted to local government because it allows for
direct initiatives in relation to community projects which can be seen through
to fruition. He recalls the beginnings of the planning towards the Redfern
Community Centre and the celebration of seeing it opened two-and-a-half years
later. He finds it immensely satisfying to be contacted by local people about
some issue for which he may be able to find a practical solution.
Tony does see some differences between the role he had when
Mayor of South Sydney and what would be involved in that of the Lord Mayor of
the City of Sydney. There would be a greater focus on events and
ceremonies – like New Year’s Eve and the Chinese New Year and the receiving of
overseas Ambassadors and other responsibilities of leadership, in what is a
global city. These would not be his favourite activities if elected as Lord
Mayor.
He is acutely conscious of the fact that 75% of the
population of the City of Sydney lives in the
old South Sydney area and that they have a
right to expect a concentration by councillors and the Mayor on services as
well as events.
What then attracts Tony towards the role of Lord Mayor? He
would love the chance to have a greater influence on the nature of the Council
agendas and in its decision-making for the City. He is well aware that any
Mayor is given the power and prestige to do that.
He believes that he would add to the position of Mayor a
deeper understanding of the area in which most people live. He would bring a
stronger focus onto things that he believes are important to the residents, as
against the CBD – like parking policies. He is grateful for the visions
involved in the Sydney 2030 proposals. However, he would like to concentrate on
things which are achievable and directly related to the City of Sydney area. For example,
he would focus on various green projects – parklands, gas generation, green
roofing – and leave aside pulling down the Western Distributor and Cahill
Expressway as being outside the responsibility and control of the City.
In many ways, Tony is a detail man. He believes that smaller
things matter to average people and that they engage with their lives. He would
like to look more closely at the distribution of services and facilities – like
where the main swimming pools are sited, or not sited, and whom they are really
serving, after almost a decade of discussion. He wants to look at the actual
state of the finances around public works, which he believes are over budget.
Tony would like to put money into services like child-care
which would help to hold young families into the City area. This would run
alongside a greater awareness of the needs of many of the population who are
over 55 years old. The multiplicity of glossy pamphlets would be explored,
given their high cost to the Council, to see if they really focus on
information that people need – like details of transport, recreation and
access, or whether they are basically for publicity.
To sum up: the dreams of Tony Pooley, as a candidate for the
position of the Lord Mayor of Sydney, are to concentrate on the building up of
social capital across the whole City for the benefit of people of all ages,
stages and cultures.
Photo: Ali Blogg – Tony Pooley
Source:
South Sydney Herald June 2008 www.southsydneyherald.com.au