Tara Murray
Four current councillors and two former councillors are among those seeking election for the Aitken ward in the Hume council election.
Overall, 27 candidates have nominated for the four seats available on council.
Councillors Carly Moore, Drew Jessop, Jodi Jackson and Joseph Haweil are all seeking re-election.
Chandra Bamunusinghe, who was on council between 2012 and 2016, is seeking a second term on council.
On his Facebook page, Mr Bamunusinghe said he was running for council because too often local residents are left behind when decisions are made.
He said council needed to focus on local jobs, capping council rates and better community services to better serve the growing community.
Moe Abbouche, a two-time former mayor, is also looking for a return to council. He was on council between 2000 and 2008.
He stood in Meadow Valley at the last council election.
On his Facebook page, he said Roxburgh Park residents had been short-changed and that it was important for council to do all it can to speed up industrial development in Merrifield to help create local jobs.
He is also advocating for the duplication of Craigieburn and Mickleham roads.
Yasmin Yigit is providing a united platform with Jacksons Creek candidate Stephanie Casey and Meadow Valley candidate Phillip Di Biase.
They are aiming to change the way local government deals with domestic violence and bullying during the pandemic and beyond.
Ms Yigit said she is a passionate advocate for victim’s rights and assistance, having experienced first-hand the personal effects of bullying. She said she wants to stamp it out – beginning in Hume.
“The school yard is where family violence starts,” she said.
The trio is pushing for some of Hume council’s budget to be spent on helping the most vulnerable in the community and advocating for a family violence recovery centre in Hume. They will also advocate for all councils to increase funding to local family violence groups and put a submission to the state government to subsidise course fees for a graduate certificate in domestic violence which costs $12,000.
Paul Campbell is looking to join his wife Jodi Jackson on council.
Mr Campbell, who has attended most council meetings in the past two years, said he had been a spectator to complacency for too long and he wanted to advocate for like-minded people and to influence some change from within.
“My reasons for standing in this election arose from seeing an increasing disconnect between the community and the council as an organisation, and the pipeline for this being our elected councillors.
“Without more independent representation in the chamber we can’t achieve as many desired outcomes for the community unless it also aligns with the agenda of party-affiliated councillors, being that they’ve held the majority vote for a number of years now and have a stale inclination to default to a block motion acceptance of officer’s recommendations.
“As a ratepayer myself I haven’t felt well served by the majority.
Craigieburn Road duplication campaigner Jim Overend is among the others seeking election.
