Trevor Ellem: What is your vision for the Clarence Valley?

My vision is to see improvement! Improvement in our road network, in tourism and business, in Council's performance and sustainability

Trevor Ellem - Buckleys MusicPhoto Adam Hourigan / The Daily Examiner. Picture: Adam Hourigan

MY vision for the Clarence Valley is to see improvement!

Improvement in our road network, in tourism and business, in Council's performance and sustainability.

Some areas should be easier to improve than others. Some areas of improvement will require difficult decisions, some - just some housekeeping!

Tidy the entrances to our towns and villages where necessary. A "Welcome" sign and "Thank you for visiting", advance information on events and festivals.

The road network is one where improvement is going to take money and lots of it. The problem has been recognised and a start made. Let's keep it going!

The valley is a very pleasant place to live and an attractive destination for a sea-change or tree-change. I think there would have to be small businesses which would find relocation an attractive prospect as well. Completion of the highway, north and south, will only add to that attractiveness.

I see the development of the valley as a gradual process, rather than hoping for one big fix. Some smaller industries or businesses established or relocated. Population increases, service industries established and jobs created as the population continues to increase.

Council's Economic Development Strategy was undertaken in 2006. It is time to see whether some or all of it is still relevant and how successful that strategy has been.

I hear remarks from time to time about Clarence Valley Council being more difficult to deal with than other councils. If it is the case, it needs to be fixed. I would like to see a council area where some don't feel they have been forgotten. Amalgamation has created a degree of isolation. If elected, I will establish lines of communication with those areas that don't have a resident councillor by meeting with progress or ratepayers associations on a periodic basis and be available to meet when necessary to inspect areas of concern.

Originally published as Trevor Ellem: What is your vision for the Clarence Valley?