Name of ticket or independent: Number two on Scott Munro’s ticket.

Are you a mayoral candidate? No.

Are you currently an Orange councillor? No.

Age: 52.

Family: Married with four teenage kids.

What do you do for a living? Chartered accountant and financial planner. We also have a cattle stud on our property at Spring Hill.

How long have you lived in Orange? 10 years.

What is the best part of living in Orange? It’s a great place to raise kids, sporting facilities and relaxed country lifestyle with all the benefits of a city.

Why are you running for Orange City Council? We need to stop the industrial zone at the airport, which puts Orange’s water supply, and therefore the future of Orange, at risk. I have been fighting this since the idea was first raised as part of the Spring Hill and Surrounding Districts Consultative Committee. The villages and rural sections of Orange have been ignored for 40 years. Council should be for everyone. The current council ignores the wishes of the residents and we need more transparency in decision making. I am also supporting Scott Munro for mayor as he is committed to these issues.

How would you assess the performance of the current council? We need change. Too many councillors have been there for too long and have stopped listening to the community. Too many decisions are made behind closed doors. They have done some good things, like the new museum, but some of the questions below highlight some of the poorer decisions that will have negative impacts for many years.

If elected, would you lobby to reduce, maintain or raise rates? If you would reduce them, which services or council undertakings would you eliminate to do so? Rates need to be justified. At the moment our money is being spent on buying up land, or code of conduct breaches. Before we raise rates, we should be looking at saving money in these non-core areas. For example, we have spent over $12 million buying up land around the airport: that is a lot of roads and footpaths.

Council has budgeted $17 million for roadworks in the next road-building season. Is this enough? Which roads should get priority?Council don’t have a great reputation as a road builder. I think we need to review what has been done and find out what has been going wrong before I can answer that question.

What is your plan for the Northern Distributor Road? There appears to have been error after error here. We have spent $48 million and still don’t have a road we can be confident will do the job. Ideally it should be a state road, and maybe a new council without the accumulated baggage can work with our state government to make that happen.

Do you agree with the industrial re-zoning at Orange airport? What should the space be used for in the future? No, no, no. I could write pages on this, but in summary … 1) putting polluting industry on our water catchment makes no sense as all. It’s existing rural and environmental zoning should be maintained. As some of the best soil in Australia, it should be retained for that purpose; 2) council has no business plan to justify the tens of millions of dollars that would be needed for roads, electricity etc on top of the $12 million already spent on land. There is plenty of industrial land available, and no need to put the future of our city at risk. We want jobs and growth, but not on top of our water supply; and 3) we need to be able to trust the water coming out of our taps. There are too many examples of our most precious resource being put at risk with no thought to the long-term future. Williamstown is a prime example of what can happen.

What specific uses for the former Electrolux factory will you pursue or support? Why waste money at the airport when we have a centrally-located industrial zone that has been abandoned. I know there are issues with pollution, but that makes it more obvious that we should be using sites like these for industry rather than risking our water catchment at the airport. I have no specific plans for the site.

Do you agree with real estate agents and property developers being on council? Why or why not? I disagree with them being on council because there is a perception, right or wrong, that they can get inside running on council’s plans. The best way to deal with this is that Orange’s long-term planning should be a public document, so everyone can see what is proposed down the track, and importantly, everyone can have a say on those long-term plans for our city

What are the best ways council can help businesses prosper in the city? It is time to revitalise the CBD. Council can assist in the process. Parking is another issue, particularly longer-term parking for  staff

Is there enough parking in Orange? If not, where should additional car parks be constructed? As our city grows, there are some issues with enough parking in peak times. It is important that we maintain the focus on our CBD, but I have no specific sites in mind

Do you support the proposed purpose-built sporting complex council has acquired land for to the north of the city? I don’t have enough information, but it could be that enhancing our current facilities would be a better option. I’m not convinced about the location.

Are there any major projects you would champion if you elected? 1) BMX track. Relatively small cost to finish what would be a world-class facility that could attract hundreds to Orange to boost our accommodation, restaurants and other tourist businesses, as well as creating new facilities for local kids; and 2) we need to make much more of our heritage which can be one of our major draw cards. The opportunity is both to preserve that heritage but also exploit it. Spring Hill and Lucknow have wonderful potential draw cards that the council have failed to encourage