Christine Forster’s steps for the best ‘Team Sydney’

THE way the City of Sydney Council works will change fundamentally if I am elected Lord Mayor on September 10, says Christine Forster.

Sydney Town Hall / Picture: Phil Rogers

The way the City of Sydney Council works will change fundamentally if I am elected Lord Mayor on September 10.

Under my leadership each of the 10 new councillors, whatever their political party, would be asked to take on a specific portfolio of responsibility and to commit to delivering for the community in their chosen area.

There can be no doubt Sydney will elect a diverse, ­talented and dedicated group of representatives come ­September.

I want to provide those councillors with the opportunity to leverage their strengths and interests to make a tangible difference for Sydney’s residents, businesses and visitors, who absolutely need each other to get our city firing on all cylinders.

My cabinet-style administration would be a complete departure from the way the council has been run over the past decade or so. As Lord Mayor, I would want councillors to take ownership of the change we need in Sydney and be leaders in their own right.

In contrast, after 12 years in office, Clover Moore has stopped listening. She is increasingly treating Sydney like a personal fiefdom, wielding supreme power and stamping her brand name on everything the council does.

Christine Forster / Picture: Craig Wilson

She has set up false conflicts between the goals of businesses and residents, created ideological wedges where there were none, and fought with other levels of government, rather than negotiating for the positive outcomes we all need.

Clover Moore’s approach has been divisive and it has held Sydney back. My goal is for a council which is committed to being “Team Sydney”.

I believe it’s now time for everyone in the council to work together to make Sydney successful, and that must start with a collaborative approach to leadership. Unlike Clover Moore, who has presided over her own party caucus with an iron fist that ignores the minority, I’d like to see a council which co-operates to achieve a common goal of making Sydney the very greatest it can be.

The portfolios I would ask councillors to assume would be economic development, infrastructure, digital city, people and community, environment, transport, tourism, marketing and events, planning and heritage, and arts and culture.

With focused leaders overseeing these key areas we could realise my vision for a city that functions at its best so that living and doing business in Sydney is easy and fun, and that empowers its people to improve their own environmental performance. The Sydney I lead would also be a digital city, which embraces the new technology that is making our world more accessible and creative.

It would be a community which cares for its own and ensures no one is left behind, which values its diversity, arts and culture, and the special vibrancy of its villages.

Sydney should be proud of its history and its responsibility to the people of our state and nation. It should strive to work constructively with the state and federal governments, and plan for our shared future with optimism.

Christine Forster is the Liberal candidate for Lord Mayor of Sydney

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