By Ethan Benedicto
Pledging to be the local voice for the people, Stefan Koomen has announced his candidacy for Casey’s upcoming October elections.
A Labor member standing as an independent candidate for Waratah Ward, Koomen is looking to bring representation from the suburbs of Hallam, Doveton and Hampton Park to the council table.
A long-term local, a homeowner, ratepayer, and volunteer, he says he is invested in the area’s future.
“That means services and infrastructure are prioritised when in the past they have been overlooked a the expense or favour of other new emerging areas [in Casey].
“It’s making sure that the suburbs of Doveton, Hallam and Hampton Park get their fair share of investment and attention.”
Koomen has been a staunch supporter and active member of the Doveton Pool Campaign, which was a widespread and joint community effort in a move to save and revitalise the much-loved pool.
Hampton Park Shopping Centre [Central] was also a priority – “to make it a community hub that we can all be proud of”.
“Council had a plan since 2018 that hasn’t progressed because we haven’t had a local voice. So that will be my priority for Hampton Park, to get that moving.
“For Doveton, it’s the Doveton Pool, ensuring that it’s upgraded and that it stays in our community is very important.
“In Hallam and across the rest of the ward, playgrounds and parks need to be improved and better maintained, they’re often overgrown and quite dirty so better maintenance and cleaning will give us areas that we can be proud of.”
Koomen highlighted the lack of local representation for Waratah Ward’s suburbs, where previous councillors were not residents of Hallam, Doveton or Hampton Park.
“Our suburbs deserve better – someone who will fight against backroom deals and bring greater transparency for our suburbs.”
Community safety was also another factor that Koomen would embark on if elected. While crime and related topics are subject to the State Government’s authority, he said that at the council’s level, it’s about “being a local voice”.
“I intend to have regular meetings with local police to keep them updated on the issues in our area because at the moment there is no voice from our suburbs actually talking on behalf of residents to police where they should prioritise their resources.
“From a local council perspective, it’s about having accessible and safe public spaces, that involve increased and improved lighting, and also other safety measures so that we can discourage anti-social behaviour and better connect people with our public spaces.”
Having worked for several years as electorate officer for Dandenong MP Gabrielle Williams, Koomen says he understands the need for good governance. He stands firm in the belief and understanding that “I’ll be [putting] residents first”.
“I’m independent in the sense that no one can tell me how to vote or what to do.”
He also believes that this level of governance should be entirely apolitical.
“There are going to be 12 councillors who need to be able to constructively build a plan for our community, our council, our municipality, and politics isn’t needed in that environment.”
