By JULIUS DENNIS
James Dash promises to bring “independent and ethical” thinking to council, should he emerge from the pack of seventeen to claim one of the eight seats at the table.
Exactly what that will entail will depend on what problems are in front of him, says the candidate who has sat on a number of councils while living in Papua New Guinea prior to moving back to Australia in 1984.
Mr Dash, who has easily surpassed the “seven careers in a lifetime” cliche, has also worked as a teacher, a town clerk, a public servant and in various roles in remote communities around Central Australia.
At the top of his list for actions in council is returning some focus to seniors issues: “Some years ago, when Clare Martin was Chief Minister, she was nominating Alice Springs as a ‘seniors hub’.
“The government said they were going to build a seniors’ village up at Mount Johns.
“The current government has drifted away from that.
“I’d be pushing for council to push on that.”
Another issue that Mr Dash sees as important to the communication flow of Alice Springs is a printed newspaper.
But it is not hard hitting journalism that he sees as missing: “At my age, a lot of my generation are passing, and I’m not even getting to their funerals.
“The council’s got a little monthly newsletter, but it doesn’t do births, deaths and marriages, it’s all ‘town news’.”
Mr Dash says he doesn’t “have a pre planned how-to-vote” on what he’ll vote on should he sit on council, but that he will bring “general ethical and independent” thinking to 93 Todd Street.
In a 17 candidate field, preferences are sure to matter. Mr Dash has chosen to preference other hopeful newcomers Allison Bitar and Micheal Liddle as his second and third options, while Aaron Blacker sits last on his how-to-vote.