Sydney Council Elections 2012

So it's time for another council election. Sadly Newtown still hasn't been unified so I'm going to have to sit this one out again - the upside being I'll still be Mayor of Newtown come Monday September 10th.

The two elections that impact Newtown residents are those for City of Sydney and Marrickville councils. The election that is getting all the press recently is the City of Sydney one, with a strong media driven anti-Cover push; however Marrickville council has also had its time in the media sun as well during the recent Israeli BDS controversy. In this article I'm just talking about the CoS election; I'll talk about Marrickville in another post - if I get enough information to form an opinion !

Vote Clover

Straight to the point: I'll be voting for Clover Moore's team in the 2012 Sydney Council elections (I live on the Sydney side of the split). There are a variety of reasons for this - first and foremost of course is that I believe she will do the best job of all the candidates who have put their hand up. However I also feel from a position of principle it's important to support Clover in the face of the vicious attacks she has been subjected to from the bogan-tariat and their masters; part of a broader push against effective women leaders this country has been sadly experiencing over the last couple of years. A victory - with a large margin - for Clover and her team would be a real triumph for the forces of decency over that ugliness.

Clover Moore has been the most effective politician in the state over the last decade. Uniquely she has been able to state a plan; consult and then implement it. Importantly the to-do list is not empty and her vision for Sydney and what is left to change is still far more compelling than that of her opponents.

Thankfully in this case there is no conflict between principle and the best candidate - unfortunately for the sake of democracy none of the alternative candidates have really made a good case as to why they'd be better for the Sydney. Some of them have seen value in aligning themselves with the anti-Clover push, which I don't think will necessarily endear them with the electorate; at the end of the day, most Daily Telegraph readers won't be voting in the Sydney council elections - which is just as well for all of us.

In the next post I will go over some of the alternative candidates. For now - your thoughts ?

PS - Just for the record - I  have no connection - formal or informal - with any of the candidates in the election.

Inner West Light Rail

There was some excitement in the Sydney media this week as it appeared the NSW government was starting to take the idea of extending Sydney's light-rail to Dulwich Hill vaguely seriously, after years of entrenched resistance.

Ever since Sydney's light-rail system was extended to Lilyfield in 2000, there has been agitation to further extend it in various directions. The two that have gained most traction are a CBD loop; and taking advantage of an existing goods line to extend the existing line to Summer Hill and then to Dulwich Hill. Sydney Council have been vocal in lobbying for a CBD loop, utilising either George or Castlereagh Street, and have gone as far as to fund several feasibility studies. However the NSW ALP government have always given these ideas short shrift, preferring (famously) to release, re-release and cancel various heavy rail and metro projects; at the same time pooh-poohing light rail as a toy solution that wouldn't work on Sydney's narrow streets.

Closer to home, the Summer Hill (or Dulwich Hill) extension seems like even more of a no-brainer. Clearance and tracks are already in place, and in this age where trillion is the new billion, projected costs for the more expensive option - at less than $100 million - seem like small change. There's a lot of interesting information on the EcoTransit lobby site - they've gone as far as to release newsletters and nail up posters supporting this push.

Light Rail map from EcoTransit website

The supporters of the Greenway are also keen (their proposed nature route from Iron Cove to the Cook's River would share a large part of the trail), although their very detailed studies have identified problems with a pinch point in Dulwich Hill that is not wide enough for both light rail tracks and the cycleway/path. I'm sure a clever resolution can be found; either single tracking the light rail at that point or implementing a shared cycleway/pathway/tramway.

Bruce Ashley/Friends of the GreenWay Inc., 2008

It seems that in David Campbell, the Premier might have accidentally chosen a Transport Minister who evaluates transport projects based on community/environment benefits rather than headlines and kick-back possibilities. See private eye Nick Possum's amusing and informative website for more on that ! However, he is still actively pushing the dubious benefits of the CBD Metro plan - more on that one another day.

Fingers crossed then that the Dulwich Hill extension gets up. Already the remnants of the Costa regime have tried to sabotage the process (so early) but the Councils called their bluff and the process is still on track - indeed Clover Moore may also have got the CBD option a bit more oxygen.

Newtown Junction c1912 -
reproduced with permission from City of Sydney Archives

What about Newtown then ? Of course, Newtown was an important junction of Sydney's original tram network, and there are those who'd like to see a line installed down King Street, potentially looping back to the City via Green Square. As much as I'd love to see that, I'm not sure how the shopkeepers would react to losing parking on one side of King Street - and unfortunately King Street way too narrow to support a central track.

Another view from c1908. Thanks to Nick Possum

Any thoughts ? Could Newtown support light-rail ? Is there anywhere else in the Inner-West that would benefit from light-rail ? Are you in favour of the Dulwich Hill extension. Comments please !

Welcome to Newstown

Newstown has been established by the Mayor of Newtown as a source of news and forum for discussion about the Sydney suburb of Newtown. As Mayor, I'll be keeping my ear out on stories of interest to locals of Newtown and surrounding suburbs, tracking the opening and closing of noteworthy businesses, watching Development Applications and occasionally reviewing favourite restaurants and pubs.

Newtown hasn't had a dedicated news source since the Newtown Chronicles folded in 1920. Today, rather as the suburb itself is split down King Street between the City of Sydney and Marrickville Councils, local news is covered sporadically by both The Glebe and the Inner West Courier, neither of them doing a particularly good job. In cyber-space, sites range from the Arts focussed Newtown Precinct to the quirky observational Nosey In Newtown. Newstown aims to be complementary (and complimentary) to these sites and more, and will hopefully fill gap for those curious and/or passionate about Newtown.

It's a big ask, and one I won't be able to achieve on my own. Once this blog gets up and running, I'll be looking forward to your help in contributing stories, gossip, and above all feedback !

In the meantime, please leave a comment if you've stumbled by, or even better some suggestions as to what you'd like to see covered here.

Newtown Station

Historic Newtown Station

The Mayor was recently invited to a discussion at the Newtown RSL (I can't bring myself to call it Petersham RSL or worse, @Newtown), called by the Newtown Business Precinct to discuss the state of Newtown Station and surrounds. Railcorp, the RTA and the NSW Government were all invited, but only Deputy Premier and local member Carmel Tebutt showed up, representing, according to the organisers, the absent organisations. The Deputy Premier herself was quite clear (perhaps wisely) that she was not representing the government agencies, promising only to pass on any messages received. Also present were the mayor of half of Newtown (and Marrickville), Sam Iskandar, and Councillor John McInerney, representing Clover Moore, mayor of the other half of Newtown (and the City of Sydney).

Railcorp Property adjacent to Newtown Station

The meeting started with an effective presentation from the organisers, using photos similar to the above, highlighting what a shambles Newtown station was; and wanting to know what had happened to the NSW government promise of making Newtown Station the first all-access station in the state seat of Marrickvile (which covers most of Newtown). 

A more general discussion was held on the run down state of surrounding properties, bus-stop over-crowding and the dangerous nature of high-speed King Street (outside of peak hours at any rate). Owners of local pub The Bank described the extensive delays caused to their renovations by the difficulties of negotiation with Railcorp, compulsory when renovating properties adjacent to Railcorp property.

Dead kebabery under the mayor's office on Railcorp property

The late arriving Deputy Premier had done her homework and was able to provide the latest information. In a nutshell: 

• Existing Railcorp plans for Newtown Station access (which ALP election promises were based on) basically consisted of dropping a lift down from the station entrance to the platform. * Further studies had concluded that this approach was not feasible due to the narrowness of the platform
  
• A new plan was being prepared based on extending the entrance concourse further over the rail lines. This new solution would be significantly more expensive than that planned.
  
• It was highly unlikely that Railcorp would spend any money cleaning up the area or making plans for the station and adjoining property while this process was ongoing - this in response to an audience suggestion to use them as artists galleries or cafes while plans were ongoing.
  
• Next planning phase was due to complete mid-year (3-6 months) after which she would report back to the community on the scope of the latest plans.
  

Newtown Station and abandoned tram sheds

Questions were also asked about the future of the tram sheds and associated land. Apparently the sheds had been sold off by the previous government to a developer but the deal had gone bad and ended up in the courts. Any further decision on their future was pending the outcome of legal proceedings due 'soon'. I have my own idea on what could be done with this property which I will be sharing soon.

Tram sheds from Angel Street

Your mayor will be attending the follow meeting and will inform everyone of the outcome. In the meantime, if you've got any ideas on what should be done with the station and surrounding properties, including the tram sheds, please share them here.

Who is the Mayor of Newtown ?

Not many people know that Newtown still has a Mayor. History records that Newtown Council, and therefore the role of Mayor, was abolished in 1948, as one of a never-ending series of power struggles between Sydney councils and the state government. The first Mayor of Newtown was elected in 1862, and in 1912 Newtown Municipal council issued a book to celebrate the Golden Jubilee, from where you can see a list of my early predecessors:

History, however, is written by the victors, and what it neglects to mention is that, like the House of Savoy, unceremoniously usurped from ruling Italy only 2 years earlier in 1946, the flame has been kept alive, and there are many supporters of the Mayor of Newtown waiting patiently for the time for the day when the illustrious office reappears and the Mayor can take his rightful place on the Mayoral throne in the Town Hall.

In the interim, I have set up office in the Town Hall Hotel, at the corner window on the first floor (above), from where, in addition to watching over the comings and goings on Kings St, I can gaze across the road to the eponymous Town Hall, temporarily occupied by usurpers from the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre.

It's a shame to see the Town Hall covered up like this - literally if you see the photo below, where the occupiers have attempted to negate the very existence of the Town Hall, an attempt which only came unstuck due to a timely Sydney southerly.

Newtown Town Hall today

When returned to my office, I plan to restore the Town Hall to its turn of the century splendour. Looking at the picture below only makes me more determined to right the historical wrongs that have left Newtown split between two uncaring councils and its Town Hall a banner-covered shadow of its former glory.

Newtown Town Hall in 1912

In order to introduce myself to the wider public, and establish popular support for my comeback, I have established this blog to communicate goings on in Newtown and nearby suburbs. I'm hoping that this will be a chance for those who like me love Newtown to follow the goings on and indeed communicate stories of their own.

Stayed tuned to these pages for more Newtown news - and if there's anything you'd like to see more information on, drop me a note at mayor of newtown (oneword) at gmail dot com.

P.S. Black and white images taken from the Jubilee booklets, which have been scanned and stored on the excellent Sydney council Newtown archives - check them out.