Why I’m running for Lake Macquarie council

Today I’m excited to announce that I will be a candidate in the North Ward of Lake Macquarie City Council in the upcoming local government elections on December 4. I’m currently set to be the only independent candidate in the race.

But why? I’m running to represent my community because I’m proud to be a lifelong resident of Lake Macquarie, but I know our council can do better. I want to get Lake Macquarie moving by tackling the city’s car-dependent suburban sprawl problem, increasing public transport and cycling usage, and establishing a ferry network on our lake. The only way to reduce congestion on our roads is to provide people with viable alternatives to driving.

I want to build a future where people don’t have to use a car to get around. A future where people find it easy to spend money at local small businesses because they are just a short walk or bike ride away. This future will not come tomorrow but it’s not too late to change the car-centric urban planning and suburban sprawl that is destroying our city.

I’m running as an independent because I don’t see local government as a stepping stone in a ‘political career’, I see it as the best place to enact change to improve the lives of people in our community. As a true independent, I will not be tied to supporting anyone else’s agenda and will vote with my conscience on all issues on council.

I’m a former organiser for School Strike 4 Climate and I hope to engage young people in local government through my campaign. I recognise that I am young but I believe that I have the vision and determination that will benefit our community if elected to council. Our council should be representative of our community and young people have lacked a voice in local government for too long.

I’ve released a detailed policy platform titled ‘Vote for your future: My plan to get Lake Macquarie moving” on my campaign’s website bryce4lakemac.com/platform. A lot of work has gone into this platform so I would appreciate it if you would give it a read!

I care about this city and its future, and I know Lake Macquarie can do better. We can build a city that works for everyone, a city to be proud of, and a city that is fit for the future. In just over 6 weeks, Lake Macquarie will be asked who they want to represent them on council. I’m asking them to vote for their future, and elect a young person that has a vision of a brighter future for our city.

If you want to support my campaign, you can check out ways to do so at bryce4lakemac.com/take-action. In addition to my detailed platform, I will aim to write a number of blog posts exploring some of my key policies in more depth between now and December 4.