POPULAR former Dudley Hotel publican and Bathurst businessman Robert "Stumpy" Taylor has ended months of speculation by confirming he will contest the Bathurst Regional Council election in September, vowing to "get things done" for the city.
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Mr Taylor contested the 2017 council election as the number two on Councillor Warren Aubin's ticket and secured 421 first preference votes - the most of any candidate outside of the ticket leads and solo candidates Alex Christian and Nick Packham.
He narrowly missed out on winning a spot in the chamber, finishing 11th in the poll to elect nine councillors.
But this time round he will lead a five-member ticket of his own supported by Andrew Smith, Natalie Moase, James Connors and Scott Macallister.
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Mr Taylor said his "Back Bathurst" team was "dedicated to seeing our community thrive".
Their priorities include improving the Bathurst region's water securing by further raising the Ben Chifley Dam wall; establishing another Macquarie River crossing linking Rankin Street with a new flood-proof road to run parallel with Hereford Street; a heavy haulage bypass of the CBD; and making use of empty shopfronts.
"It's time to have people on council who want to get things done for Bathurst rather than being hell-bent on holding it back," Mr Taylor said.
"Bathurst is a growing city, it always has been. But we have a lot of work ahead of us to make sure community facilities and infrastructure keep pace with the number of people who will move to our region over the coming decades.
"We need locals on council who have a track record in getting things done, who know what it takes to run and grow a business, and who listen to what ratepayers want from their council."
Mr Taylor said his team members were already campaigning and listening to what voters want from council.
"They know the issues, they know what makes our town tick, and they know people want a respectable council focused on the community rather than themselves and their own ambitions,' Mr Taylor said.
"They also know people want to see council get on with things which have been talked about for years with little progress.
"... We'll also work to keep investing in, growing and promoting our community facilities, like Mount Panorama, to bring more visitors into town. Bathurst is the hub of the Central West, it's time to back our community."
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