MERYL Dillon knows what it’s like to represent the people of Moree Plains Shire.
She was a local councillor for 13 years but hasn’t sat in council chambers since 2008.
That not to say she isn’t aware of what’s happening in the local political landscape – far from it.
Mrs Dillon is very much involved with State and Federal politics and feels the time is right to return to local politics to address local issues.
She’s frustrated, she says, by the number of stop-start developments in the district and wants to see major works completed and operational.
“I am standing for Moree Plains Shire because I am concerned about all the unfinished and stalled projects in the Shire,” Mrs Dillon said.
“This include the pool, memorial hall, pound, leash-free area, cinema, the Boomerangs’ clubhouse as well as unspent flood damage funding for roads.
“I have been particularly concerned about the Moree saleyards and Council’s failure to understand the industry,” she said.
Mrs Dillon is gravely concerned about juvenile crime in Moree, and community safety.
“I am really concerned about the community safety problem in our town and feel what’s been done so far has been too little, too late,” she said.
She says Moree is in a unique part of the world, and Council should tap into the district’s rich and diverse environment.
“We need to find ways to capitalise on our unique, natural attributes, including our great soils, our valuable water, our abundant sunlight, our location, our workforce, our artesian spa industry and, most of all, our fantastic people,” she said.
Mrs Dillon is calling for more transparency and accountability from Council.
“I am concerned there is a general failure to keep the community advised about what is happening,” she said.
“Overall, the Council needs to be more responsive to what the community wants and be more open in its decisions.
“After all, elected councillors are the servants of community members, not their masters,” Mrs Dillon said.
In the past, Mrs Dillon has worked as a lands officer and legal clerk and, over the years, served on many boards and committees, including the New England Health Board, which later became the New England Area Health Service, Gwydir River Management Committee and Moree Vegetation Management Committee.
She has also been active on the Drug and Alcohol Misuse Board and served on the New England-North West Regional Development Board from 2000 to 2002.
Mrs Dillion and her husband, Ken, are self-employed and have lived in Moree their entire lives.
“I love the Moree district and its people, and feel now is the perfect time to step back into local politics,” she said.
Words: Bill Poulos
