Alice Springs Town Council By-Election candidates talk their promises for the community.

THE Alice Springs Town Council by-election is less than a week away and our candidates have hit the ground running.

People vote in the by-election.

THE Alice Springs Town Council by-election is less than a week away and our candidates have hit the ground running.

The Centralian Advocate spoke to each candidate about their final plans for the community before residents cast their votes.
 
John Bridgefoot said he would work with council on major issues such as the improvement of key intersections and road safety.
 
‘‘We have a problem with intersections in Alice Springs such as the cross between Stuart Terrace and Gap Road, which doesn’t allow people to turn left and right at the same time [so] needs to be a split lane to reduce the hold-up time,’’ he said.
 
‘‘As a driving instructor, I see what happens on our roads and the problems we are facing as drivers all the time.
 
‘‘I am looking forward to working with the council which, under Damien Ryan’s leadership, has been quite successful, but we need to fine tune a few things.’’
 
Technology guru Edan Baxter said preparation for the National Broadband Network was a priority.
 
‘‘The NBN is quite possibly going to be one of the most important infrastructure developments in this region’s history and there are a number of things a smart council can do to get ready for that,’’ he said.
 
‘‘These include education campaigns for industry and developers, potentially subsidising areas and zones and even industry subsidies for downstream industries.
 
‘‘We must lead the region and support good outcomes on this new infrastructure [and] Alice Springs can use its voice as a leader to secure the best outcomes as a critical services hub.’’
 
Colin Furphy said green energy and pedestrian safety were key platforms in his campaign.
 
‘‘I think it’s really important to look at the lighting along Larapinta Drive because there have been a few incidents occurring in that area so pedestrian safety is a crucial issue,’’ he said.
 
‘‘I want to establish a pathway linking Larapinta Drive to the North Side through the industrial park [and] generate more awareness of solar power and energy usage and I think the best starting place for this is to get the council using solar power.’’
 
Matty Day said securing a local park as an all-abilities play space would be a point of interest if elected to council.
 
‘‘It seems that many families are asking for a fenced area where they can safely play with their kids,’’ he said.
 
‘‘If I’m elected to council on November 23, one of the first things I want to do is investigate how we can fence one of our park areas, install safety gates, and have a public play space for families with special needs children.’’
 
Kylie Bonanni said she hoped to focus on attracting tourism into the CBD, which would increase business in the area.
 
‘‘I want to work with the current council who I believe are doing a good job to bring more focus to the CBD,’’ she said.
 
[Alice Springs] is a very large tourist town and so I want to drive interest towards the CBD, especially when we have major events, and this will have a strong knock- on effect by driving money into tourism and local businesses.
 
‘‘We need to attract those people into a vibrant and bustling area and encourage new businesses to open up in the CBD which will create more foot traffic.’’
 
The Alice Springs Town Council by-election will be held this Saturday from 8am - 6pm. For polling booths, visit www.ntec.nt.gov. au