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UPDATE

As at Friday, 21 November, only 24% of ballot papers had been received by the Electoral Office

REMEMBER TO VOTE

Voting Closes at 6.00pm Friday 28th November, 2008

Avoid a $57 Fine*

Post or deliver your ballot paper to reach the Returning Officer before voting closes. This Election is by Postal Ballot only. There will be NO Polling Booths in Frankston.

If you haven't received your ballot pack by now, contact the Frankston Electoral Office, 62-66 Playne Street, Frankston (the old RACV office) or phone 9770 5020.

If you haven't received a Reply Paid envelope in your voting pack, you can send your ballot paper and envelope to:

END UPDATE
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As Frankston has grown, so too has the need for it's councillors to be professional, dedicated members of the community.

• can make commonsense decisions after giving equal consideration to all issues and parties involved
• encourage genuine community consultation and who will respect community views
• embrace Frankston's inevitable growth but do so with controlled development, not inappropriate suburban high-rise which is in stark contrast to our neighbourhood character

• The upgrade of Keast Park facilities in line with the 2004 Master Plan
• St Kilda's Training Facility relocation to Belvedere Park by 2010
• The Frankston Aquatic Centre at Samuel Sherlock Reserve

• support local businesses and shopping strips
• address anti-social behaviour in the City of Frankston
• keep Frankston as Australia's Most Sustainable City
• provide support for an increasing number of aged residents
• protect and improve Frankston's environment - particularly the Seaford Foreshore and the Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands

My campaign began before nominations opened when I started walking the streets of North-West Ward, speaking to residents and retailers. I am making it my business to identify your needs and issues.

During this process, I learned of Council plans to have the Beach Street footpath refurbished during the busiest trading month of December - a prospect which upset local business operators in Beach Street / Ashleigh Ave.

I contacted Council to check the facts, and a little initiative has paid dividends for commonsense has prevailed. Frankston Council has re-scheduled the works. I'm advised that the works will now commence in late January 2009, will take 3-4 months and will only affect a few shops at a time.

• Congratulations to the Victorian State Government for signing-off the long-awaited FRANKSTON BYPASS. This project is vital to Frankston's development and deserves unanimous support from Council as a NO TOLL Freeway to ensure we alleviate the local traffic gridlock during peak times as motorists seek to avoid the Cranbourne Road bottleneck. Residents using Seaford Road, Skye Road and McClelland Drive, to name a few, are all bearing the brunt of poor government planning.
• Guidance and support for COMMUNITY GROUPS. Community-minded volunteers are the lifeblood of our Australian society, they enrich our lives in so many ways. We would, for example, no longer have the Seaford Wetlands, the Seaford Pier or Foreshore Reserve if not for the dedication of private individuals.
• Better co-ordination of council projects to ensure minimal disruption to local business and residents e.g. provide new parking before removing or restricting the old.
• The growth of Information Technology businesses in the Seaford/Carrum Downs area. More businesses locally mean more local jobs and more support for local traders. Council should seriously investigate the potential of this area as an IT Centre.