CANDIDATE Catherine Strods hopes to offer a fresh perspective as she runs for Bathurst Regional Council.
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She says she knows the fact she's a relatively recent resident will be noteworthy for some voters, but says it does not need to be seen as a disadvantage.
"I can bring what I've seen has worked well and what hasn't worked well in various communities," she said.
"Just because I haven't been here for long doesn't mean I don't understand.
"I'm someone who researches and reads and reads, I talk to people and I get involved in the community."
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Ms Strods is bucking the trend by running as a solo candidate against a number of tickets that have already been announced.
"I like to do things myself," she said. "It suits my personality."
Ms Strods had lived in regional Victoria, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney before she and her husband moved to Bathurst last year.
"This is the first time since I was a child that I actually feel like I am at home," she said.
"Everyone is so friendly and open. It's just a welcoming community.
"l have lived in cities, but I've lived in regional communities too, and nothing has come close to how beautiful the community spirit is here."
The 35-year-old, who has two masters degrees and is halfway through a doctorate degree, previously held volunteer roles as the secretary and co-founder of the Australasian University Emergency Management Association and state leader of the Australasian Women in Emergencies (AWE).
She owns and runs two small businesses, one in organisational resilience, and the other making hot chilli sauces, and says encouraging and helping women who want to start a small business is a particular interest.
"There are so many opportunities to have small businesses at this time because of everything going online," she said. "Mothers can work from home very easily and have entrepreneurial jobs that no-one ever thought they could do before."
Council can play a role by providing support, training and workshops, she said.
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Ms Strods also wants council to focus on long-term strategies for the economic sustainability of the city.
"I think there's an opportunity here where there's a mass exodus from Sydney. It started last year, and I was one of them, and I keep meeting more and more people [from Sydney]," she said.
Bathurst should be aiming to attract people who are community-minded and have skills to fill local shortages, she said, and should be looking further ahead than the next council term.
Ms Strods said her father worked in local government in Victoria for many years.
"I always wanted to be able to make a tangible change," she said of her decision to run for council.
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