Mayor4Unley

The junction of the Mike Turtur shared path and Musgrave Street @ Goodwood has been revamped giving better line of sight and improved safety for pedestrians and cyclists. It works well if the cyclists and the pedestrians follow the path and the signs painted on the path. I stood there today for half an hour and watched ... most cyclists just went wherever they wanted: whichever was the shortest route. They are still cutting across the driveway and putting themselves at risk. most pedestrians and joggers did the right thing, but some (a few) also cut across the driveway. What is really needed is a hump or some physical barrier along the edge of the bricked driveway. Full marks to the local resident who has planted the area. It's good to see residents planting and maintaining the verges in their street. Many thanks to the cyclists and pedestrians who have provided me feedback on what works and what doesn't work. I've taken that on-board.

Volunteers are the backbone of most community organisations. At Unley Council there are 400 volunteers who service the community. Many Council services would fold (or be reduced) without the help of volunteers. I salute all of these volunteers ... from bus drivers to home services to the library ... the list just goes on. I was delighted to read that one of the best new release camellias has been called Volunteer to honour the volunteers across Australia. This camellia has gloriously ruffled blooms. They really are quite different with petals that open a soft pink with white at the edge. As the season progresses, the colour deepens and retains a white edge. The centre of the flower is heavily textured and has a pin cushion in shape. The bush grows to 2m in height. If you're thinking of planting a camellia then consider the Volunteer .

I am running for Mayor of Unley. The Council election is in Oct-Nov 2018. Voting will be by postal vote. My forecast is that there will be huge number of new Councillors with up to 9 new faces at Unley . Some say that there will only be 6-8 new faces. This will be the biggest change of faces at Unley in over two decades! With such a new Council, the Mayor will need to have discipline and be a strong leader to facilitate changes initiated by Council. I am committed to listening to you and providing strong leadership. I encourage you to tell me your concerns . I'm a good listener.

Unley Cr Mike Hudson posted the following on his blog ... It may be drawing a long bow, as the saying goes, but …in this current climate of alleged  graft and corruption at third-tier Government level…could not complimentary tickets to (say) footy matches hold an inherent threat? Or are they regarded as a necessary aid for  Councillors to mix and mingle? Where do you draw the line? Sounds crazy? It isn’t. In the current burgeoning, over-zealous bureaucracy, anything goes!!! I posted the following comment ... Mike, this also bothers me. Freebies always get paid by someone. Invariably it’s those who can least afford it. At Council functions including lunch before the football, it’s paid for by the ratepayers. Free tickets for the football are paid for by either the Council or the Club; ultimately paid for by ratepayers or Club members. It’s a personal dilemma that we all need to resolve. Surely if we go to the football then we can buy a ticket, buy a pie and pay

Another cafe opens in Goodwood. Actually it’s nearby in Forestville, on Leader Street next to the train line. The cafe called Two Sparrows has grand plans, is open 7 days, and I hope it does well. I like the idea of running classes on bread and cheese making; acting as a community hub. get more info here

Fixed. The Mike Turtur cycle/pedestrian Shared Path at the Leah Street intersection with the tram line at Forestville has a new painted section saying ‘ Keep Clear ’. Now, when the boom gates are down, cars don’t queue across the narrow path for pedestrians and cyclists.  This enables the foot and bike traffic to cut across the queued motorists. I had received numerous requests to get it fixed. A simple solution that is working well. The shared path crossing is near the Dear Daisy cafe (on the corner). #Unley #cycle

The State Government has commenced public consultation on the proposed Kaufland mega supermarket on Anzac Highway @ Everard Park/Forestville. However, the catch is that only residents (and businesses) within 60m of the development may formally comment. This is totally outrageous. So many residents who will be impacted can not have a say. I would have thought that the new Liberal Government would have quickly changed the State planning process. This consultation is a joke #saparli. This development has the potential to severely impact residents over a wide radius, especially to the south in all the side streets off Leader Street. There must be a rigorous independent traffic management plan before approval is granted. The high volume of vehicle movements at this site warrants the traffic study. Residents are encouraged to meet with those living within 60m and pass on their concerns which may then be formally submitted. You may also pass on your concerns to me and I will ende

Great news for cyclists and pedestrians passing through Goodwood. Upgrade works are about to start at the intersection of Musgrave Street / Railway Terrace South/ Mike Turtur Bikeway Path. A safety issue was identified and poor sight lines and other safety issues are to be fixed. The works will commence on Tuesday, 8 May 2018 and will be completed by 5 June 2018. This is a great outcome for this busy Shared Path.

Good to hear that Coles and Woolworths will cease giving free plastic bags at the checkout by July 2018. A great outcome! However, that’s a small dent in the plastic at supermarkets. We must maintain the rage! We all have a role to play to force a change. supermarket plastic waste

Here are highlights from Unley's draft budget. See the following 2 links for more information ... Read Mike's comments Read Don's comments Why the link to the commentary by Councillors Mike Hudson and Don Palmer? There's no point to repeating what they have already said. However, I am still annoyed by the successful push by Councillor Michael Hewitson to jack up the rates by a further 0.3% to partially pay for increased landfill dumping fees for recycle waste. I still maintain that the only responsible way to cater for an unknown extra dumping fee (by my estimate to be $250k) is to cancel the Tour Down Under Gourmet Gala and race start that costs a whopping $275k pa. Written and authorised by Bob Schnell, 10 Halmon Avenue, Everard Park 5035

May the fourth be with you!

At the April Council meeting I moved a motion to end our opposition to the Liberal policy of rate capping. I was disappointed that Council did not have the strategic vision to support the motion. So the Council will continue its public opposition and put at risk a good working relationship with the new Government. At risk will be extra funding for Unley projects. It was just plain crazy. A real lack of strategic vision. Here are notes from what I said at the Council meeting ... Item 1141 This motion is commonsense and practical. Firstly let’s look at page 2 of the Agenda. It states that Council is committed to: Ethical, open honest behaviours Building partnerships The emphasis here is on Building Partnerships. The background provided (in the agenda) clearly states the current situation. It is justification for why this motion must succeed. The State has a new Government that campaigned for rate capping. Like it or not, the Government will purs

Outcome of the Unley Council meeting held on 26 March: Item 1117 Pocket Parks I successfully moved a motion that Council prepare designs for 2 pocket parks. It was well received by Council. Pocket parks are a great concept and well received by the community. I have received considerable feedback from across Unley to restore the program. They may be built along the edge of a street (by narrowing the road width) or at an existing road closure (dead-end). In Parkside there is an excellent example where a road was ‘rolled back’ and an adjoining small park extended. That was a great outcome; probably the best example of what can be done. Item 1118 Rates Incentive Policy This motion was successful. I totally opposed it. I did not support the concept of encouraging high-rise development by providing big rate rebates for developers and owners of apartments bought off the plan. I believe that any such development must be economically viable (on its own merit) without any s