Not sure who to vote for in Silverleaf Ward? We put the tough questions to all candidates to help you make up your mind – read on for their answers. All candidates have been sent the same questionnaire, which we will post as we receive them – check back here regularly for updates. Candidates have been given until October 6 to submit their responses.
SILVERLEAF WARD
Noble Park North, Dandenong North
2008 election: Elected: John Kelly 3998, Maria Sampey 2712
Enrolment: 18,076 (75.64% voted)
Formal votes: 12,242
Informal: 1431
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BARRY LONG
Suburb of residence: Dandenong
Occupation: Maintenance fitter
Ward nominated for: Silverleaf
How long have you lived in Greater Dandenong? 41 years
Have you run for council/ been a councillor before, or any other level of government? If so, please list details (where, when, length of time, etc). Contested 2005 Noble Park North ward. Did not win
Are you/have you been a member of a political party? If yes, which party? If no, with which political party do you most identify? Yes. Labor
Are you or have you ever been a member of an political interest or lobby group? No
If you are elected, will you commit to remaining a councillor for the whole term? Yes
What is your campaign budget? Who is funding your campaign? No budget. Self-funded
Where will you be campaigning? Silverleaf ward
Who will you direct your preferences to? Nhan Huynh
Describe your involvement in the local community. Long-time resident, involved in local sporting clubs, Noble Park RSL, PM at Freemasons, life member North Dandenong Cricket Club
What do you think being a councillor involves? Being a voice on council for residents
What do you think are the most important issues for your ward? To make sure that the ward get adequate funding for infrastructure
What do you think are the most important issues facing Greater Dandenong? Making sure Dandenong get a good outcome from the revitalisation.
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ZAYNOUN MELHEM
Suburb of residence: Dandenong North
Occupation: Family Independent Grocer
Ward nominated for: Silverleaf
How long have you lived in Greater Dandenong? I was born in Dandenong Hospital and have lived in The City of Greater Dandenong my whole life.
Have you run for council/ been a councillor before, or any other level of government? If so, please list details (where, when, length of time, etc). No I have never run for council or been a councillor before in any level of government.
Are you/have you been a member of a political party? If yes, which party? If no, with which political party do you most identify? I am not aligned or involved with any political party, nor have I ever been affiliated with any political party. I am running as a true independent.
Are you or have you ever been a member of an political interest or lobby group? No.
If you are elected, will you commit to remaining a councillor for the whole term? Absolutely. I believe it is important for a councillor to see out a full term in council. The position of councillor is to represent the community and as an elected representative it is every councillor’s duty to dedicate themselves to the entire term for which they are elected.
What is your campaign budget? Who is funding your campaign? My campaign is self-funded and therefore I am paying for all my expenses out of my own pocket. I believe this helps me to connect better with residents on financial issues that they face.
Where will you be campaigning? Throughout the Silverleaf ward.
Who will you direct your preferences to? At this stage I have still not selected my preferences.
Describe your involvement in the local community. I have always worked closely with the local community. Having a family-run business in the City of Greater Dandenong allows me to connect with the issues that residents are facing and I believe as councillor I can bring a fresh approach to tackle the concerns that residents have. I work closely with the St Pauls youth group based in Plunkett Road, Dandenong, helping to organise various community events and fundraisers.
What do you think being a councillor involves? Being a councillor involves attending regular council meetings in order to ensure things get done in our city. It is important to hear the concerns of the community and to ensure you listen and act upon those concerns, and provide regular feedback to the community. As a councillor you must do everything in your power to ensure you are doing what the community is asking from their local representative as you have been elected for that specific reason.
What do you think are the most important issues for your ward? I believe that overdevelopment of our residential communities is at an all time high, and residents have been expressing a lot of concern about larger developments in our streets.
The council needs to get back to basics in regards to proper maintenance of our roads and footpaths. I believe that in the Silverleaf area walkways and roads are being significantly neglected with large cracks in the footpath in a lot of our streets and large potholes on our roads. These leave me fearing for the safety and welfare of our community.
General maintenance of our parks is also a high priority – ensuring they are kept clean and well maintained will ensure a safe and healthy environment to raise a family.
What do you think are the most important issues facing Greater Dandenong? Rate rises are always a huge concern, we need to ensure that rates are kept as low as possible as families are already finding it hard enough to cope, with such high taxes and the cost of living sky rocketing of the last number of years.
I believe that we should encourage industry to make its way into Dandenong as this will ensure a strong community and allow our local residents to have stable jobs allowing them to have the lifestyle they deserve.
I believe public transport can always be improved in the City of Greater Dandenong being such a busy city, we need to cater for the elderly and disabled by providing them the best public transport systems available.
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NHAN HUYNH
Suburb of residence: Dandenong North
Occupation: Planned Activity Group Worker
Ward nominated for: Silverleaf Ward
How long have you lived in Greater Dandenong? 14 years
Have you run for council/ been a councillor before, or any other level of government? If so, please list details (where, when, length of time, etc). N/A
Are you/have you been a member of a political party? If yes, which party? If no, with which political party do you most identify? Australian Labor Party
Are you or have you ever been a member of an political interest or lobby group? N/A
If you are elected, will you commit to remaining a councillor for the whole term? Yes
What is your campaign budget? Who is funding your campaign? From fundraising of a campaign committee
Where will you be campaigning? Springvale Centre
Who will you direct your preferences to? N/A
Describe your involvement in the local community. I worked for AVWA and many communities correctional services to provide counselling to vulnerable clients to access ongoing support networks. I also assist frail and socially isolated elderly to live independently at home and in the community.
I worked with Centre for Culture Ethnicity & Health in a Social Campaign that to send to all Vietnamese the message that their health is too important for misunderstandings, therefore, their right to have an interpreter.
I cooperated with some Cities Council to conduct an environmental project that to give the residents an opportunity to raise ideas on how to use energy smartly.
What do you think being a councillor involves?
• Civic leadership
• Representation and advocacy
• Inter-governmental negotiation
• Marketing and communication
• Decision making and enforcement of local laws
• Local policy and planning development in a regional and state context
• Accountability and performance measurement
• Resources and asset management
What do you think are the most important issues for your ward? The issues such as traffic, streetlights, litter, the noise from the race and services for age care, disable people and child care
What do you think are the most important issues facing Greater Dandenong? Aside from the issues above, the services for multicultural age care, play groups for children, sport for whole family and using energy wisely are also the most important.
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VLADIMIR NAGORNY
Suburb of residence: Dandenong North
Occupation: Welfare Administration Officer
How long have you lived in Greater Dandenong? I have been living in Dandenong for over 15 years. I am married with three children and plan to live and work in Dandenong for many years to come as everything I need is nearby and it’s a great neighbourhood.
Have you run for council/ been a councillor before, or any other level of government? I have run as an independent candidate for Dandenong council twice in the past, for the same Silverleaf ward.
Are you/have you been a member of a political party? If yes, which party? If no, with which political party do you most identify? I have never been a member of any political party, group or organisation. I am running as a truly independent candidate who will receive no orders or support from any political party. I can work with people on all sides of the political fence if it means getting a good outcome for residents, which will be my primary concern.
Are you or have you ever been a member of a political interest or lobby group? I have never been a member of any political party, group or organisation.
If you are elected, will you commit to remaining a councillor for the whole term? Yes.
What is your campaign budget? Who is funding your campaign? The budget is currently unknown and my family and friends will be my primary support in this campaign.
Where will you be campaigning? Dandenong.
Who will you direct your preferences to? Unknown at this stage.
Describe your involvement in the local community. I am a welfare administration officer for Dandenong Cranbourne RSL, justice of the peace and a marriage celebrant. I am also a member of the Ukrainian community, a member of the Executive Committee for Region 2 and a member of Community Advisory Committee for Valley Private Hospital and South Eastern Private Hospital. I have always been proud of my involvement in many aspects of community lives.
What do you think being a councillor involves? Being a councillor involves having a strong sense of commitment towards the improvement of my local community, by improving the quality of living in the area. It is a role which requires the understanding of the needs of the community members and determining how to meet them.
What do you think are the most important issues for your ward? Residents and businesses are telling me that that roads, rubbish and rates are the biggest issues. Road congestion at level crossings needs to be fixed, some suburbs are unclean and need better garbage collection and rates need to be kept as low as possible. Minimising rate increases will make our dollar go further towards the needs of our residential area and taking care of our environment will result in a cleaner and more sustainable Dandenong.
What do you think are the most important issues facing Greater Dandenong? There are many important issues that are currently facing Greater Dandenong. Private investment in Dandenong needs to be further encouraged to increase local employment opportunities. Parking spaces around stations and shopping centres have always been a big concern for locals this needs to be improved by providing more spaces, longer parking times and better security. I will also aim to tackle the abuse of disabled parking spaces. New and upgraded facilities for both the younger and older generation residents are required including improvements and cleaning of existing parks.
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THELMA WAKELAM
Suburb of residence/business: Keysborough 0414 998 337
Occupation: Community Development worker & sustainability officer
Ward nominated for: Silverleaf
How long have you lived in Greater Dandenong? 25 odd years
Have you run for council/ been a councillor before, or any other level of government? If so, please list details (where, when, length of time, etc). I ran in 2005, in what was then the Springvale South Ward. Being 1 of 5 candidates, and no preference, I was on my own!
Are you/have you been a member of a political party? If yes, which party? If no, with which political party do you most identify? No I am a true independent candidate. I have never belonged to any political party. This means I am not committed to party lines!
Are you or have you ever been a member of a political interest or lobby group? I am president of Residents Against Toxic Waste in the South East. RATWISE believes “people have a natural right to live in a clean & safe environment”. I am not sure if that makes me a member of a political interest group, I suppose it does!
If you are elected, will you commit to remaining a councillor for the whole term? Yes I certainly hope so! I believe a councillor needs to be in office for a period of time to be of significant benefit to the community.
What is your campaign budget? Who is funding your campaign? Depends how it all pulls together. My campaign is self funded. Does anyone want to assist?
Where will you be campaigning? I will be campaigning in Silverleaf Ward. Door knocking, and meeting the residents. I hope I will be well received, as unexpectedly there are actually 3 incumbent councillors who have nominated in the Silverleaf ward, which is a 2 councillor ward!!
Who will you direct your preferences to? Currently I am negotiating for the preferences. As an independent I will be at a disadvantage, as it is a very political process! I would like to see other independents being elected to local government, as then you may have others of like mind to back you during debate, or second a motion. As an independent you have the best of both worlds, to vote according to your conscience, and the expressed needs of the community. I wonder just how much influence party politics should have at local government level.
Describe your involvement in the local community. Long time involvement in environmental issues relevant to Dandenong & a community representative within various forums with the EPA, & industry.
What do you think being a councillor involves?
* Regular meetings at least once a week.
* Listening & responding to residents’ concerns.
* Advocating on behalf of the community.
* Putting forward discussion, debate, & decision-making for favourable outcomes in the best interests of the community.
What do you think are the most important issues for your ward?
* Planning that meet the needs of the existing community.
* Value for our rates.
* Families: Expand open space, and maintain parks, and increase activities for youth.
* Traffic and congestion, and safe well-maintained footpaths.
* Support for the disabled, disadvantaged, or those isolated within the community.
What do you think are the most important issues facing Greater Dandenong?
* Planning issues that meet the needs of the existing community.
* Increase in environmentally sound technologies to boost employment prospects within the municipality.
* Our TAFE system is in tatters! The cutbacks placing many at further disadvantage.
* I am concerned regarding the Smart Meters. People should be able to choose rather than it is compulsory to install a Smart Meter.
* Equality and access to services for those with disability or mental illness.
* Isolation issues within the community, especially for those from a CALD background.
* The existence of the Lyndhurst Hazardous Waste landfill, and the Ind 2 zone in South Dandenong, which are located so close to where people live.
* Heavy scrutiny of new industry wishing to locate to this area.
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YVONNE HERRING
Suburb of residence: City of Greater Dandenong
Occupation: N/A
Ward nominated for: Silverleaf
How long have you lived in Greater Dandenong? 33 years
Have you run for council/ been a councillor before, or any other level of government? If so, please list details (where, when, length of time, etc). Councillor for City of Greater Dandenong – for 13 years
Are you/have you been a member of a political party? If yes, which party? If no, with which political party do you most identify? Not a member of any party.
Are you or have you ever been a member of an political interest or lobby group? No
If you are elected, will you commit to remaining a councillor for the whole term? Yes
What is your campaign budget? Who is funding your campaign? I always fund my own campaign on a modest budget.
Where will you be campaigning? In Silverleaf Ward
Who will you direct your preferences to? Still working on it !
Describe your involvement in the local community. I am Secretary to the Springvale Benevolent Society and have been a volunteer with them for many years. I also have an active interest in other groups in our City.
What do you think being a councillor involves? Plenty of Time, Patience, and a Love of our community – working for our residents and ratepayers and doing what you believe is right for them.
What do you think are the most important issues for your ward? Traffic problems are a big issue with many residents. Updating our parks so residents can feel safe while going for their walks. Rate increases are another issue for our ratepayers.
What do you think are the most important issues facing Greater Dandenong? We are an aging city and I think we as a council must put in place more alternatives/help for our aging population. Public transport is also a major issue in some areas. High rise development in many areas is a great concern to many residents – I would like the Planning laws changed so that we could put an end to the high rise developments in our city.
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JOHN KELLY
Suburb of residence: Dandenong
Occupation: Plumber
Ward nominated for: Silverleaf
How long have you lived in Greater Dandenong? 60 years
Have you run for council/ been a councillor before, or any other level of government? If so, please list details (where, when, length of time, etc). Current councillor of 19 years.
Are you/have you been a member of a political party? If yes, which party? If no, with which political party do you most identify? Previous Liberal Party member. Independent
Are you or have you ever been a member of an political interest or lobby group? NO
If you are elected, will you commit to remaining a councillor for the whole term? YES
What is your campaign budget? Who is funding your campaign? Self Funded
Where will you be campaigning? In Silverleaf ward
Who will you direct your preferences to? Yvonne Herring
Describe your involvement in the local community. I’ve been involved in different groups in the community for many years including football, basketball and playground developments such as the Dandenong skate park and making improvements to Tihatuan Park where I initiated Music in the Park. I have also worked extensively on the redevelopment of The Dandenong Market.
What do you think being a councillor involves? Being a councillor involves attending many meetings including the council meetings every Monday night to make this city the great city it is. The most important thing is being able to listen people and act on their concerns. While you’re not always able to get what they want you need to give it your best shot.
What do you think are the most important issues for your ward? Traffic problems seem to be a constant problem in the ward and other issues such as footpaths, roads, street trees, clean streets and keeping our parks in the best possible condition.
What do you think are the most important issues facing Greater Dandenong?
1.Over development on normal sized house blocks is out of control.
2.Families are finding it hard to cope especially with the introduction of carbon taxes.
3.Improving and encouraging manufacturing is essential in order to help employment and give people the capacity to spend in order to keep our city thriving.
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