COUNCILLOR Ian North appears to be revelling in his new role on Bathurst Regional Council.
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Now freed of the constraints that came with being deputy mayor for nine terms, Cr North is becoming one of the real stirrers in the chamber.
And the public seems to love it.
It was Cr North who last week threw down the challenge to his colleagues to throw out the three logo options put before council as part of its new branding strategy and instead throw it open to a public design competition.
Cr North argued, not unreasonably, that Bathurst is home to some very creative designers – not to mention one of the country’s premier university public relations courses – and that council could be inundated with entries.
He suggested a prize of $10,000-$15,000 might be enough to tempt local professionals and amateurs after the options commissioned from from consultants Destination Marketing Store failed to “hit the mark”.
The suggestion won wide community support but it remains to be seen if it will go anywhere within the chamber on Wednesday night.
Even if it doesn’t, though, the whole exercise has been a significant public victory for Cr North.
Next came Cr North’s notice of motion calling for council to write to Photon Energy asking them to find a new site for a solar farm away from prime agricultural land at Brewongle.
Council appears to have studiously avoided buying into this debate but Cr North’s notice of motion will demand an official stance one way or the other.
And that will put some of his colleagues in the uncomfortable position of having to back either green energy or local residents.
Of course, even if council were to write to Photon there’s every chance the request to find a new site would fall on deaf ears, as Photon has no need to make friends on council.
The project will be determined by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment as a development of state significance so council could only ever seek to influence the outcome rather than decide on it.
Despite that, councillors who supported the notice of motion to come before them on Wednesday night would have still won a few more local friends.
And, again, it looks like a winner for Cr North.