Noble Park North Ward candidate Alan Gordon after his appearance on a national current affairs program last week.By Shaun Inguanzo
CANDIDATES in the City of Greater Dandenong have been hitting the campaign trail hard to win votes at this weekend’s election.
A field of 46 candidates will compete in nine wards, with Keysborough and Dandenong North already settled after incumbent councillors Roz Blades and John Kelly were elected unopposed.
There will be more than 30 locations for voters to attend, most ward-specific, with Dandenong’s Town Hall providing a polling booth for voters of all wards.
Noble Park North Ward candidate Alan Gordon appeared on a national current affairs program last week after submitting more than 1900 council feedback forms within two years.
Mr Gordon said it was the second time the program had contacted him, the first during the 2003 election, when he was defeated by current ward councillor, Naim Melhem.
Mr Gordon’s card campaign has seen him take note of small structural hiccups around his ward while riding his bike, then completing a Greater Dandenong “Tell Us” form to urge the council to repair footpaths, fix signs and complete other general maintenance.
“It is a voluntary thing, no one has asked me to do it,” he said.
Mr Gordon said the Tell Us cards proved he had been active before the election campaign period.
“You have got to prove you are able get things done,” he said.
“People should be getting out there and getting their hands dirty.”
Meanwhile, Noble Park Ward candidate Andrew Russell has been maintaining his fitness while dropping election material in letter boxes.
Mr Russell chose to ride his bicycle to deliver pamphlets rather than the traditional means of walking.
But the effort is exhausting for Mr Russell who suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).
Mr Russell said if elected, his CFS would not interfere because it only made him physically, not mentally, tired.
