The Logan City Local Government Elections scheduled for March 16 will see seven of the 12 divisions go to the polls.

Here, both candidates for Division 7 were given the same questions and below are their answers. This will give a little more insight into who they are.

1. Tell Logan about yourself.

Tim Frazer – My name is Tim, and I am the current Councillor for Division 7. I am 42 years old, and I have previously worked as a Child Safety Officer, Fitter and Turner and as an Army Reserve Soldier. I have been married to my wife for 12 years and we have two young boys together. We also have a dog.

Anthony Shorten – I have lived with my family in Boronia Heights for over 20 years, all that time in Division 7. I am actually the only person running for Division 7 who actually lives in the Division. I am the youngest of 8 children who grew up in Housing commission in Coopers Plains. I work in public administration.

2. Why are you interested in our community?

Tim Frazer – As I am the current Councillor, I am very interested in our community. I make it a priority to attend as many school P and C meetings and Neighbourhood Watch meetings as I can to keep in touch with my community. I regularly keep in touch with the sporting and community groups in the area by regular phone calls or by popping in to watch games being played at their home grounds. I also hold regular mobile offices to ensure residents have an opportunity to bring their concerns to my attention. If a resident is unable to attend any of the mobile offices, I gladly meet at the resident’s house if they find that more convenient. Doing all of the above-mentioned things enables me to make positive change in the community. 

Anthony Shorten – I have a passion for delivering for our community. From footpaths to railway lines, I believe residents of Division 7 need a strong voice in Council.

3. Why did you decide to run?

Tim Frazer – I decided to run for Council the first time because I have always had a strong interest in the workings of the local government and in helping make the community a better place. I decided to run the second time because I would like to serve the community for a second term and to continue with my plans for the betterment of the Division for the benefit of residents.

Anthony Shorten – I have noticed over the last number of years basic services like building footpaths and maintaining our roads have dropped away. I want to change that and deliver the basic services that our rates pay for.

4. What do you think is the most important skill of being a good councillor?

Tim Frazer – The most important skill of being a good Councillor is to be very good at listening to resident’s concerns and to enact meaningful change within our division and Local Government Area.

Anthony Shorten – What do you think is the most important skill of being a good councillor? Listening.

5. What distinguishes you from the other candidates?

Tim Frazer – I have five areas of focus that show how I have residents front of mind.  My areas of focus are rates value for money, improving parks for families, making local roads safer, community safety and community engagement. During this electoral term, I was able to advocate for major parks project funding and support some local infrastructure program funding for an adventure playground upgrade at Boronia Bushland Reserve, community engagement was key in investigating what residents wanted to see in the park. I may have five key areas to focus on, however my focus is not limited to other important issues such as advocacy for better public transport options.  An example of this is the Salisbury to Beaudesert Passenger Rail which was a listed project in the Council City wide advocacy strategy and this strategy was supported by myself and the majority of my colleagues. I was able to play an active role in suggesting what may be the only suitable location for the Forestdale Community Garden based on my extensive local knowledge of the Division.

Anthony Shorten – I have experience at both a State and Council level, but most of all I am a fighter, I will not just accept others telling Division 7 residents what is good for them.

6. What would you like to see happen in your division over the next 4 years?

Tim Frazer – I would like to see many projects that benefit the community. I specifically would like to see projects such as park improvements, more CCTV cameras, safety treatments on our local streets, city beautification projects and community and sporting group financial assistance for their infrastructure. This electoral term, I have already supported projects such as these and I feel continuing on with projects such as these will improve our community.     

Anthony Shorten – I have a 6-point plan which I will deliver over the next 4-year term which concentrates on Safer Communities, Better Connectivity, Better Public Transport, Value for your Rates, Better Parks and Greening our suburbs.

7. Why should voters cast their ballot for you?

Tim Frazer – Voters should cast their ballot for me because I work hard for the community by prioritising my time to attend as many school P and C meetings and Neighbourhood Watch Meetings. At these meetings, residents and the school leadership have opportunities to present problems to me for fixing. The three school traffic safety improvements I supported originated from school P and C meetings. I deeply care about the community, and I have many years of work experience serving the community at council, child safety and in the Army Reserve. My unique life work experiences enable me to see things from many different points of view, particularly those members of the community who are most vulnerable.   

Anthony Shorten – I am dedicated to delivering for my community and I will work everyday for residents.

8. Anything extra you would like to add?

Tim Frazer – Some people may be wondering why I chose not to focus on footpath construction. This term I have attempted to support many footpath projects, however in my recent experience, footpaths are not as popular an infrastructure item as one would imagine and constructing footpaths on streets that currently are without footpaths does not seem to be a priority for residents. During my consultation for three out of the six footpath projects I wanted to support, one proposed project had only negative feedback, therefore the project was abandoned and two other projects only had majority support for a footpath on part of the street, the remaining three were constructed to completion. There is financial margin in my commitment list for any footpath projects that may require my support next term. 

Anthony Shorten –

Follow Tim Frazer and Anthony Shorten.