10 August 2017

Local Activist to stand as an Independent for Inner West Council 

Fed up with the State Government’s assault on our local council, John Lozano has announced he will be standing as an Independent for the Leichhardt Ward in the September Council Elections.

John is passionate about democracy and first became a community activist when the NSW Government introduced the two for one business vote for the City of Sydney elections. “The next day, I volunteered to assist Clover get re-elected,” he said. The Community spoke. The Clover Moore Independent team enjoyed a landslide victory.

I am so disillusioned with our Federal Government's approach to renewables and sustainability in general. I guess you can’t teach a dinosaur new tricks.

That doesn’t stop us from stepping up and leading the way...

What if we were to introduce renewal energy initiatives and sustainable measures across the Inner West? What a red faced lot they’d be then.

Let's set renewable energy targets for all council buildings to obtain progressively over future years. Let's assist residents with getting on board by offering rate incentives. We have lots of units in our area, let’s help them navigate strata by-laws so they can join in. Can we enforce similar standards on new developments? Let’s look into it...

What if we became so independent that we could start selling electricity, not back to the general grid but back to our own residents. Who doesn’t want to reduce their electricity bills? We could do it with Solar Gardens. It’s transformational stuff but hey, as they say, from little things big things grow…

We could introduce a scheme where you get credits - the more sustainable your home, the more credits you earn. These credits can then be offset against council rates. And it shouldn’t be limited to just home owners either. Let’s face it, with Sydney home prices the way they are renting is a necessity. We’re all part of our community so let’s include, not exclude. 

And it doesn’t end with solar panels. There’s heaps of things we can do to make us more sustainable:

• Water Tanks
• Worm Farms
• Bokashi Bins
• Community Vegetable Gardens
• Compost Distribution
• Solar Paths

New York roof top solar gardens, share electricity.

And these are just my thoughts. We have truly passionate members of our community that would love to contribute ideas. And council can play a role in bringing those ideas to fruition. So let’s get them thinking and contributing through community participation schemes to transform our environment - locally first. 

In 2016 on the eve of amalgamation two motions were tabled. One expressing support for Woollahra Council’s legal challenge to their forced merger. The other seeking to join them.

The motions were lost.

“The case for mergers never stacked up. That’s why communities across the inner west did not want to merge, and why I voted in favour of joining other inner-city councils by challenging our proposed merger in the courts,” said one independent councillor. That was John Stamolis, who is now running as an Independent in the Balmain ward.

When council mergers rolled out across NSW two stood out more than others.  

John Lozano of Haberfield made an impassioned appeal to the Mr Pearson, that he act on the issue of WestConnex or resign as Administrator. “Barely six weeks ago I stood here and cautiously welcomed your comments. ‘This council opposes WestConnex in the strongest possible terms’. I thought we had a champion in our midst...

“Since then I have asked, what have you done? Today I ask that same question, but it’s rhetorical. Your replies have been skimpish at best and you don’t even record comments in your minutes.”