PROFILE FOR - RIMUTAKA LICENSING TRUST

 I am totally committed to the long-term survival of our Trust.

 It is imperative that we preserve that status within the Upper Hutt City.  I would ensure the continuation of the Trust’s long-standing association with Trust House Limited, which strengthens our position and constantly reminds us of the mandate to ensure that the Rimutaka Licensing Trust remains a vital and important community asset.

 I am committed to interacting with our community and to ensuring that you understand the Trust’s position, that our efforts are in line with your desires and expectations, and you support us in these efforts.

 I am dedicated to the survival of the Trust’s business for the benefit of the entire Rimutaka community.

 

PROFILE FOR - UPPER HUTT CITY COUNCIL

Radical changes are being proposed to the Local Government Act which could see people having less say in their local communities and position councils to privatise assets and contract out public services.

I oppose privatisation. The focus of our Council should be on developing positive programmes that support business needs whilst maintaining total control of our community assets.

For the past 23 years, I have been a union organiser for the New Zealand Public Service Association. I have been an Upper Hutt resident for the same period.

My youngest son and five of my grandchildren have been educated at Upper Hutt Schools, enjoying and appreciating all of the Council’s recreational facilities.

I am now in a position to positively represent you as a Councillor.

Before you Vote please consider that the Government’s proposed changes to the Local Government Act would mean

1. No community voice in local government
2. No public ownership and no control of community assets and services, including our water
3. No job security and an erosion of employment conditions for staff employed by council

We are facing a watering down of democracy. 

I am determined that I will not have this happen and seek your vote. 

• I want to be, the conduit of your concerns within our community
• I do not support the contracting out of council services or assets
• I absolutely oppose long term leases of our water supply
• I want our Council to be the "good employer" model for all local government bodies

I have identified my top 5 issues for Council to address, but I would also like Council to take leadership in the following: 

• Have you travelled down Main Street and counted the vacant shops (about 23) and the eyesore that the Landlords have created?  This issue should also be a priority, as is encouraging residents to be able to buy locally.
• A partnership with all enforcement agencies promoting, a ‘Upper Hutt a safer community’, ensuring renewed positive community watch, and security monitoring programmes.   
• Once our young people leave Intermediate schooling, there are few organised recreational pursuits available to them.  (Only a small percentage of children get selected at Senior Schooling, to be able to continue the recreational pursuits, they enjoy).  Council needs to take leadership and encourage the use of our great recreational facilities for the sporting activities for all the 13 to 18 year-olds in our community.
• Our Parks and Gardens need to have improved facilities for those of us that support our young people in their sporting endeavours.  Robust seating, toilet facilities, relaxed requirements for the access of entrepreneurs to provide refreshments.
• We have great local Public Transport system, yet very few shelters for users, especially during bad weather.  Council needs to promote a distinct improvement in this.

Top 5 Issues

1. Robustly managing Council expenditure to ensure justifiable rate increases in line with inflationary pressures. It is naïve to expect our rates not to increase (GST will rise from 1 October 2010), but to manage these should be Councils’ top priority.
2. Working with all Community agencies and ratepayers to prevent on-going vandalism, tagging and graffiti within the entire Upper Hutt environs. There is a constant defacing of our township and environs by tagging and graffiti writers. We need to be more vigilant in apprehending the offenders and requiring them to not only clean up their filth, but also be named and shamed
3. Volunteer stipendiary Custodians of our parks and reserves to ensure our recreational facilities remain Family Friendly and safe. The use of these Custodians would ensure that these facilities are maintained to provide clean, inviting and friendly environments, less likely to provide illegal and bad behaviours.
4. Encouraging our youth to be positive, productive, contributing, members of our Upper Hutt Community. Council should be positively promoting employment development within our Council boundaries and explore ways to work in positive partnerships to not only create work opportunities but also enhance recreational facilities that will keep our families entertained and safe.
5. Upper Hutt residents contributes a great deal of waste, some of which could and should be recycled. Like recycling programmes encouraged within NZ and internationally, in addition to kerb side pickups, Council should proactively provide opportunities to encourage drop off facilities and ventures to utilise reuse of recyclable materials.

Personal Profile

Local residents who know me have suggested I am a wee bit crazy at this stage of my life, to put my name forward for Council and the Rimutaka Licensing Trust.  I should relax and enjoy my senior years!

That’s not me, nor my lovely wife, Jacqui.  Since we became caregivers for one of our grandchildren, you would normally see us either at rugby practice or at games on Saturday and Sunday.  Two of our grandsons were Upper Hutt and Hutt Valley junior representatives this year and one of my granddaughters’ a very successful netball representative.  (You will note that some of my primary issues focus on our need to preserve and enhance our recreational facilities for participants and spectators, alike).

We have the advantage of having a wonderful environment to raise our families, and it is our responsibility to ensure that as a principal priority we not only maintain what we have at present, but enhance and improve it for future generations.

You will note that I have real concerns about the state of our Upper Hutt Shopping Precinct.  We have so many vacant shops and these are not being well looked after.  This needs to be urgently addressed, as is the current attitude of many of our current business owners.  Have you tried to ‘shop locally’ only to be told, ‘we do not have this available, you could get this item down in Lower Hutt, however’?  I don’t want to go to Lower Hutt!  I want to purchase locally.  Council needs to strongly encourage local business to grow and cater for Upper Hutt residents! 

My youngest son works as Assistant Manger, Wellington Beds Upper Hutt, a Company that promotes and practices good 'personal customer service', going the extra mile'.  It is my desire that this attitude is contantly repeated throughout all of our local business community.

Who is Dean Chandler-Mills?  Jacqui and I have brought up six children and assisted in bringing up 9 of our grandchildren, in the Hutt Valley.  Two of our daughters live in Upper Hutt as do 6 of our grandchildren.  We have lived at our current address for just over 20 years and in the Upper Hutt region for in excess of 23 years.  We both have had entertainment management experience (at one time I was General Manager Kerridge Odeon Multi-plex complex in Auckland and Jacqui, General Manager Hoyts Cinema complex, Manners Street), we managed the Courtney Place TAB, ran the catering operation at Hataitai Netball, and I for the past 23 years working in Wellington (as a PSA Organiser) and Jacqui locally for IRD, Upper Hutt.

You may have seen me using our great Public Transport System to go to and from work, I’m the striking bloke (dressed in black) with the crooked walking stick heading to town on the 6.00am train and coming home on the 3.25pm express.  I am a strong advocate of the use of Public Transport and conservation issues (including recycling our waste).

Jacqui and I are both members of: 

• Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust
• Grey Power Upper Hutt
• Diabetes NZ

Active Supporters of Upper Hutt Junior Rugby and I am also a member of the Upper Hutt Cosmopolitan Club.