Council elections: Daniel Gillett on building partnerships and services

Daniel Gillett says local governments can always make better decisions.

The Leader caught up with Mr Gillett in Tamworth's CBD, in the area commonly known as Fitzroy Plaza.

"This part of Fitzroy Street is a great example of the efforts previous councils have made to bring community together that haven't been very well-executed," Mr Gillett said.

"At all points of these processes, better choices can be made, and that's really what being councillor is about: making choices."

The Tamworth local and father of three says Fitzroy Plaza should be made pedestrian-only with exceptions for emergency services and early-morning deliveries for businesses.

He also said as much during the plaza's $4.5 million renovation in 2017-18 and again while acting as a community representative on Tamworth council's City Centre Working Group.

"It is a beautiful pedestrian space. We need access for emergency services, but there's a model for how that could work ... The bollards can be automated. It's a really simple process," Mr Gillett said.

"This could've been a space for community organisations, or just for people to hang out, but nobody wants to come down here because there's traffic going through all the time."

But it's never too late to change course, Mr Gillett says, which is why he's running for a spot on Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) in September.

"There's a lot of room for local government reform, and one of the really important things in this election is people should concentrate on local issues, let's not get carried away with the big political picture," he said.

One of those local issues Mr Gillett says he'd focus on as a councillor is bringing out the full potential of Tamworth's livability.

He describes himself as "fiscally conservative but socially progressive," and is a big believer in investing in infrastructure to help activate the local economy.

"If we build the facilities that will attract people to town, people will come and live here, professionals who want to give their families great educational opportunities, great sporting opportunities, fantastic cultural opportunities, and be proud to invite their families from the city to come and visit," Mr Gillett said.

But the key, he says, is timing.

Speaking on TRC's recently-approved Special Rate Variation, Mr Gillett said he's heard many in the community discuss cost of living pressures and how they can't afford higher rates.

Had he been on council, he said those considerations would've prompted him to look for other alternatives, but he stopped short of saying he'd have opposed putting the rates up.

"Honestly I think the councillors who were there had to make tough decisions. Without all of the information they had I don't know what I would've done," Mr Gillett said.

"It's a bit of a catch-22. We could've said no we don't increase rates, but what are we giving up in order to do that? Maybe there was a middle ground, but without the detail it's hard to know."

One thing he is certain about is who should be held accountable for those kinds of decisions.

"There are 650 people in Tamworth who work for council, and they've been copping a lot of blame for things that aren't their fault," Mr Gillett said.

"Nobody deserves to go to work and be copping abuse for decisions that are made way above their pay grade."

If elected the former president of the Tamworth Dramatic Society said he wants more respect for council staff, and to empower them to deliver the best results possible for the community.

He says if there's one skill he's picked up from his job as a Regional Partnerships Officer for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, it's how to be a team player and lift people up.

"The thing that's great about my job is how humbling it is to see what can happen when a community really comes together to support a project," Mr Gillett said.

He also said he's got a lot of experience working with diverse groups and community organisations over a long career of running pubs from King's Cross in Sydney to Victoria Park in Perth.

"No matter where I've been I've always been involved with some kind of community service," Mr Gillett said.

"I'm politically involved, but an independent candidate. I'm well-placed to advocate to state and federal government because of my strong connections there on both sides, but our focus has to be local first and foremost."