Miccio opens his door to hear ratepayers’ views of platforms
_*Nelson Pride, Economic Growth, Education & Job Opportunities, Affordable Council*_

Today, Aldo Miccio launched the four key areas that will deliver on his vision for Nelson, inviting Nelson ratepayers to provide their direct feedback.

Cr Miccio announced his intention to run for mayor in this year’s local body elections, in late January this year.

“My vision is for the community to work together across all generations - to make Nelson a place our parents’ generation can afford to enjoy their retirement; to ensure our children have an option of raising their children here; and to give our young adults the education and quality job choices they need,” he says. “I believe this vision will be shared by Nelson residents; people such as Mike Cotton, Andrew Goodman, Shane Drummond, Mark A’Court, and Anna Leary (as quoted below).

“Nelson should forever be a great place to live, work and play,” he says. “To achieve this, I have four overarching goals for Nelson’s future:

1. Nelson Pride: a city that Nelsonians are proud of
2. Economic Growth: ensuring Council processes better serve the public and business to foster growth
3. Education and job opportunities: increasing quality educational and job opportunities for Nelson’s young adults
4. Affordable Council: running a cost effective and transparent Council, delivering affordable rates.

“I have some exciting ideas for the city to deliver on these four areas, but I recognise that I am only one voice out of tens of thousands, so I want to hear how the community would like me to deliver on these goals,” Miccio says.

“As well as meeting with the relevant representative groups in Nelson and our community’s leaders, from April 23rd I am opening my door to the public,” he says. “Many people already contact me with their various concerns, but I have also put aside three hours every Friday morning for ratepayers to visit me in my office for 30 minute meetings, to discuss issues that are important to them.

“People can have whiteboard sessions to nut out issues, or just sit on the couch and talk,” he says. “Afterall, not everyone writes letters to the editor, or makes submissions to Council on specific projects or issues, or are members of representational groups - so this is a chance for people to talk to me about what they feel is important; to help inform the detail of my mayoralty policies. I want to ensure Nelson stays progressive, so we have a city in the future we are proud of, but I also want to take Nelsonians with me.”
“Aldo would be a great Mayor for Nelson. Like me he is a local boy, and so he understands what is important for Nelson. He is clearly passionate about sport, and works amongst all the sporting codes in Nelson. He stood up publically in support of the Tasman Mako’s future, and thanks to his commitment we will have superb grounds for our team, the Rugby World Cup teams and all the other groups who want to use Trafalgar Park.” /*Andrew Goodman, Former Tasman Makos Captain*/

*Nelson Pride *

Nelson should be a place we are all proud of; a great place to live, work and play, today and in the future. There is no denying that Nelson is a fantastic place to live already, but I believe the city has the makings of becoming excellent.
We have the opportunity for world-class community development that not only provides residents and visitors with inspiring facilities but also offers growth opportunities. If we ensure project management is strategic and robust, and facilities are income generating, we can afford to deliver for the community without going further into debt.
“Aldo’s vision is something I strongly believe will benefit our businesses, our families and our community. We‘ve seen him as an active Nelson City Councillor successfully helping to secure two Rugby World Cup 2011 matches for the city, driving the Trafalgar Park upgrade, initiating an events venue strategy to save ratepayers’ money and he has furthered the Council amalgamation debate. Aldo has proven that he has both the passion and the drive to be the future Mayor of Nelson.” /*Shane Drummond, Nelson businessman*/

*Economic Growth*

By strategically improving our regional GDP growth rate from its current rate of 1.7% (EDA: Tracking the Nelson Regional Economy, July 2009) we will see increased quality jobs for all, so we can enjoy the great lifestyle our region has to offer.

Now is the time to create a vision that better leverages the talents and successes of existing specialist industries and attracts even more quality businesses and individuals to the city. Council processes also need to be improved to ensure regionally significant projects that provide more jobs have the focus they deserve.

“The Council’s processes need to recognise the strategic value of local business to the local community as a whole, so that we can provide better quality jobs for people, so they can live here and enjoy Nelson. The Council talks about supporting the region’s growth, and I believe as Mayor, Aldo will actually deliver on the talk, as he has proved through what he has delivered over the last two and a half years. /*Mark A’Court, Owner Nelson FreshChoice Supermarket*/

*Education & Job Opportunities*

Nelson should provide our young adults with the choices they need when they leave school, and our industries should be able to tap into the local workforce for the skill base they require to succeed. If you are a parent or grandparent I am sure you would love to see your children have more quality choices in their home town, if they choose to live here now, or when they return from their OE. The linkages between Nelson's growth sectors and our educational facilities could be stronger, so that our industries get the talent they need from a local base. It is about choice and opportunity.

As a former NMIT student, studying a degree here in Nelson was advantageous and I support greater synergy between education provision in Nelson and opportunities to engage this knowledge locally. Like Aldo, I believe industry-aligned education is a key component of Nelson’s future.
/*Anna Leary, Artist*/

*

Affordable Council *

The Council needs to be strategically and cost effectively run to ensure rates are kept at an affordable level. We have a diverse community, including a large retired population, a professional workforce, and a great number of young families, and all of these residents deserve affordable rates through cost effective delivery of Council services and facilities.

We need to have transparency and accountability around Council processes and reporting. Potential cost savings need to be investigated.

“I believe Aldo is the right person to take Nelson forward as Mayor. He is honest and approachable, says what he believes, and cares about the delivery of fair and equitable rates for all Nelson’s ratepayers. He is an experienced businessman, and over this term of local government, he has shown a lot of common sense on issues facing Nelson city.” /*Mike Cotton, Nelson City Councillor*/

ENDS

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