A LIFETIME of experience in all matters rural has helped Perthville's John Seaman record a landslide victory to become one of three elected members of the inaugural Central Tablelands Local Land Services board of directors.
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Mr Seaman romped home with 248 votes and was elected to the board along with Hampton's John Lowe (170 votes) and Millthorpe’s Bruce Gordon.
Mr Seaman said local farmers had generally been very apathetic towards the voting process.
"This can be seen by the fact that 1100 people were enrolled to vote and only 770 votes were actually recorded and I know a lot of people threw the information about how to vote in the bin,” he said.
"What they have to remember is they are still going to have to pay for the Local Land Services (LLS) organisation through their rates, so our aim is to give them a service they will be happy with. They deserve to get value for their money."
Mr Seaman said the board must work as a team.
"No board ever gets results if it works as individuals," he said.
"On a personal note, I ran because a lot of people urged me to do so because they wanted someone who is involved in the industry and is up to running speed on most matters. And it helps if you are a straight shooter and tell things the way they are, which is what I am all about.”
Mr Seaman said fellow board member John Lowe from Hampton had a background in catchment management issues, having been a NSW Farmers delegate to that organisation for the past three years.
He said Bruce Gordon had a strong following around Blayney and Orange.
"He is very well respected in his area and, like John, should be an asset to the board. Our job now is to convince the ratepayers that LLS is a viable organisation who will deliver them real benefits,” he said.
Local Land Services Chair of the Board of Chairs, John Macarthur-Stanham, acknowledged the election process contained some inefficiencies and administration issues, which caused angst for some people.
"The process hasn't been perfect and improvement will be required in conducting future elections. Running an election during the height of the transition phase was never going to be easy, but rather than wait until things were bedded down, our primary objective was to get the elected board members on board as soon as possible,” he said.
The Local Land Services Board of Chairs has already commenced a comprehensive review of the election process and will consider potential regulatory, process and statutory changes to ensure future elections are simpler and more streamlined.
The elected board members will take up their positions by the end of March.