There’s a drastic shortage of intelligent, principled councillors who have sustainability at heart. You could probably count them on one-and-a-half fingers. Clarence valley councillors – from Grafton, Copmanhurst, Maclean and Pristine Waters – seem to be terminally incapable of dealing with modern environmental and social realities. Things have changed since the eighties. There’s more information. People are more aware. The competition for land and resources is increasing. The need to conserve biodiversity, protect water quality, minimise energy use and plan sustainable communities is growing more urgent. We need people who can do this, people who aren’t in the thrall of developers and people who understand notions like ecological footprint.

Some of the local government decisions in the past 12 months have been thunderously bad. Grafton Council voted against a $30 per year environmental levy which could have allowed good water quality projects to go ahead. They let a developer subdivide land close to a sewage treatment plant so he’d get an extra 5 lots (that story is on the next page). They approved private schools on the eastern side of the Pacific Highway at Clarenza, creating a very dangerous route for school-kids. In Copmanhurst Shire they’re still subdividing small lots at the Pinnacles and Fortis Creek, a hotspot of biodiversity which includes koala habitat and wildlife corridors. The market will decide if there’s any habitat left after home-builders have cleared for bushfire safety, driveways and house sites. Clarence council representatives on North Coast Water acquiesced to the water supply project occurring in all its awfulness without representing Clarence valley people at all, thousands of whom were opposed to it. Maclean Council wants to allow the floodplain to be filled at West Yamba to allow a big residential development.

We need people who can defend social justice and the environment to run for council. The Environment Centre could provide support for campaigns as well as supporting elected members. There’d need to be numbers – being the only green councillor is hard unless you have magical persuasive powers. There’s probably the greatest chance of getting someone progressive into Pristine Waters and Maclean Councils, judging from how people voted in the state election. Grafton people as a mass are conservative. Copmanhurst people are also conservative, apart from a few wonderful ratbags.

Local government is a powerful political vehicle. It is not just about rates and dog-catchers and roads. It’s about how our communities develop and how the environment is protected. It would be a wonderful thing to see progressive and passionate people on councils. The valley deserves it. Will you nominate?