This is an unedited candidate statement from Diane Blackwood. If you are standing in the upcoming election, send a candidate statement of 250 words or less, one picture (optional) and one video (optional – must be uploaded to candidate’s own YouTube account) to editor@warragulcitizen.com for publication.
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Diane Blackwood (right) with Local Government Minister Jeanette Powell. Image: Supplied.
I grew up in Nilma North; attending Warragul High School in the ‘70’s, RMIT in Melbourne, travelled and married Chris settling in Traralgon, raising our 4 sons. We returned to Warragul in 2004.
My interest in Leadership peaked in 1998 completing the Gippsland Community Leadership Program (GCLP).Proud to be one of over 400 Alumni putting back into Gippsland in a very significant way. I know now many diverse individuals and companies, politicians(of all persuasions) and community leaders who I can call my friend; invaluable when you are in the business of lobbying for support of your own community.
People who have lived here a long time tell me they are “sick of talking about feasibility studies and wasted ratepayer funds, there was nothing wrong with the plans done by councils prior to amalgamation.” I can only agree and give my 100% commitment that any council I am part of will clearly understand the time to spend on delivering the outcome is now. You may observe the improvements to the Palmerston Elbow of recent time. A much greater expenditure to redo the drains and form a better central meeting area in the Warragul CBD is a vision I share with the adopted masterplan. We can lobby for support of this type of project with State and Federal Government as the detailed plan is done,(called ‘shovel ready’) the time to deliver on this,( with the Railway Carpark and third rail crossing actually becoming reality by 2014) is in the next four years.
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