Council candidate commits to real community engagement
Kāpiti Coast District Council candidate commits to real community engagement
Asher Wilson-Goldman for Kāpiti Coast District Council
Asher Wilson-Goldman, candidate
for Districtwide Councillor, has released his plan for
Kāpiti Coast District Council to genuinely engage with
and be connected to our communities.
“I work
regularly across the country with councils and community
groups, so I know the most successful councils are those
embedded in and supportive of their communities,” said
Asher Wilson-Goldman, “councils that think they have to
control everything themselves tend to produce the worst
outcomes,”
“If you elect me as your Districtwide
Councillor, I will lead an improved programme of engagement
with all parts of our Kāpiti community, so everyone can
have their voice heard,”
“We need to aim higher,
so our communities contribute to and are part of all of the
decisions we make.”
“It’s time for a Council
that listens and takes action - not one that just sits back
and hopes for the best,”
“It’s not good enough
that most people only hear from their councillor for the few
months before an election. Local government has to engage
all the time, not once every three years.”
If
elected this year, I will:
Use modern technology to
listen to and engage with our residents in the digital
spaces we’re already using, like the many active Facebook
groups for Kāpiti’s communities.
Be available for our primary and secondary schools, so our kids voices are heard in the halls of power, and they grow up engaged and enthused about their ability to make change in the place they live and play. I will also invite our Youth Council members to join me on school visits.
At least one full day every month, be available for residents to drop-in and visit me in their local library, community centre, or even cafe, so they can find out what council is doing and have their say without having to come to Council offices. I’ll encourage my council colleagues to come along too.
Implement regular visits to our retirement villages, to learn from and talk with our older residents about what matters for them.
Stop using working groups and reviews as a way to avoid and delay making tough decisions, and only use them as tools when there is a genuine willingness to implement their findings and recommendations.
“No
single councillor knows everything, but if we listen to and
engage with our communities properly, we can combine our
knowledge to build a stronger district for everyone,” said
Asher Wilson-Goldman.
Read more about Asher
Wilson-Goldman’s plans for strong Kāpiti communities
at www.asherforkapiti.nz.
ends