All together now: no development without infrastructure.
We’ll see what happens when it’s crunch time but for now, a week into the council elections, most candidates say they will not support growth without the appropriate infrastructure.
And sure, it is a bit of a motherhood statement, but I believe this time there is a certain determination attached to such pledges by the candidates who have so far been interviewed for the Voice in Macarthur.
As predicted in these spaces the massive growth in store for Campbelltown in particular seems to have hit a chord in the local community.
What also has emerged is a consensus that local roads and parking require urgent attention.
The feeling across the board is that Campbelltown, while not yet gridlocked, is not far off such a nightmare scenario.
As for parking, the 2016 situation is a far cry from the days when Macarthur Square opened in 1979 and its carparks were mostly empty.
Now even on weekdays it’s hard to get a spot immediately, whereas five to 10 years ago that situation arose on special shopping days such as Christmas, Easter or Mother’s Day.
Indeed over the years parking or lack of it at Macarthur Square has become a fairly accurate barometer for locals.
Halfway through the elections one more interesting phenomenon has emerged: there are some outstanding number two candidates across the ballot paper.
I am not saying they will eclipse their number one candidate on September 10, but there’s every chance they will pick up a lot of votes themselves from people who vote below the line.
If you vote above the line you’re locked into the order submitted to the NSW Electoral Commission by each of the groups or parties contesting the ballot.
Not so below the line where voters can pick and choose the candidates they would prefer on council.
But back to the very good “number twos’’ – they include Daniel Draper, the East Campbelltown Eagles legend, who is running under the banner of veteran councillor Bob Thompson.
Having worked close to the grassroots for many years Draper has a good grasp of what’s needed, especially facilities for local sports clubs.
Another one I think would contribute quite a bit to Campbelltown Council would be successful businessman Warren Morrison, who’s running as number two to Cr Fred Borg.
And then there’s the offering of youth via Cr Paul Lake’s second on the ballot, Josh Cotter, who is 23 years old.
Young Cotter is not just any youth, he’s the 2011 Campbelltown Youth Ambassador and 2012 Campbelltown Young Citizen of the year.
I thought he was a very impressive young man even before I found that out; he’s really mature for his age.
There’s others such as Gem Payten, former deputy mayor Paul Blyton’s number two, but you get the picture.
Whether they actually get elected is up to the voters but it’s good having such good candidates putting their hands up to serve the community.
