The issues that have hit the media in recent days around some of the mayoral candidates’ fundraising activities only highlight the need for a truly independent Lord Mayor, free from conflicts of interest, whether that be through donations or secondary employment in mainstream media organisations.
When I decided to run for Mayor, one of the key rules for me was to have no external donations of more than $199. This means that I will always be accountable to the whole community, not to a handful of donors.
This means that I will not have as many potential conflicts to manage as a voting member of Council. Councillors who receive gifts from donors are not able to vote on any future matters which concern those donors. I want to make sure I am free from conflicts of interest and able to do the job and govern through voting on as many matters as possible.
Additionally, I am remaining 100% independent. I am not running as part of a ticket or team. Real or perceived factionalism is not going to be healthy for the culture or governance of the City. I do not understand why three Lord Mayor Candidates are listed in this group of people.
In no way would I be beholden to any donors or teams nor create the perception that I would or could be. That was how I wanted to run the campaign, and that is how I would operate as Lord Mayor.
Campaigns do take money to run, as there are ad campaigns, posters, flyers and skilled work required such as graphic design and video production.
I declared $7,500 of in-kind support provided through space for events, office space and meeting room’s from Spacecubed which is just over $2,000 per month of the campaign. In terms of cash, I have raised just under $6,000 in cash donations with a cap of $199 per person applied. I have self-funded the remaining funding requirements.
My campaign is delivered at the grass roots one, with about 120 volunteers giving their time, for which I am extremely grateful.
Most of my time recently has been spent door-knocking, where I have been welcomed, often recognised (which has been very nice) and even invited in for a cup of tea or coffee. It has been a pleasure to meet so many residents and business owners, and I will spend the remaining time doing as much of this as possible.
At this time, and at this moment, Perth needs a fresh and new Lord Mayor, someone energetic with a future-facing mindset, someone who has built businesses and organisations during a downturn, activated spaces and has demonstrated leadership and governance qualities.
Above all, we need a truly independent and non-conflicted Lord Mayor of the City of Perth.
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You can read more about this issue below –
Perth players pour almost $100k into Di Bain’s campaign as Basil Zempilas declares solo $2000 gift – WA Today
Perth lord mayoral candidate Di Bain reveals $100,000 in donations – The West Australian
Perth lord mayoral aspirant Di Bain under fire after accepting campaign donations from property developers – The West Australian
Read my previous article on managing conflicts of interest here: https://www.brodiemcculloch.com/strong-governance-of-the-city-of-perth-starts-today/
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