To Ventura busses

My name is David Daniel Ball, I am running for Greater Dandenong Council. Constituents of the Ward of Redgum have raised with me the issue of the bus route 709. It runs through Keylana Drive Keysborough, which is not a mainstream street planned by council for bus traffic. Locals tell me that they would prefer it were the main thoroughfare of Cheltenham Rd used between Chapel Rd and Lakeview Blvd. It looks to me like that route would be superior and allow more convenient access to buses even for people who live in Keylana drive and adjacent streets.
What would be the most appropriate way for me to raise this issue with you? ===
Dear Nominee for the Red Gum Ward of the Greater Dandenong City Council,
Leading up to the election on October 22nd, I would like to know what your individual views are, and the agendas you wish to bring forth should you be elected.
I am also interested in what issues you believe need addressing, as well as what people groups, minorities or majorities, you wish to represent.
Why is it that you believe you are the best person for the job?
As a part of the Red Gum Ward community I understand the understated importance of a council members contributions to it's community, and the effect that it will have short and long term; because of this, I ask for a sincere, detailed and honest response to this email.
Warm regards,
Kedesh Hatton

I believe in the theory of cultural assets. Viewing things as minorities needing promotion is all very well, but a zero sum game with winners and losers. Promoting minorities leads to racism. The theory of cultural assets looks at communities differently. Cultural assets tend to be cheap but time consuming to build, and easy to tear down. Without cultural assets, people tend to selfishness. With cultural assets, people tend to maintain and grow the community.
Thing is, cultural assets depend on a community for identification. In Dandenong they include market spaces, leisure areas, schools, homes, library, parks, police, old buildings, new buildings, lots where children play before being chased away, Pokemon Go sites, theatre, museums, places of worship and more. Dandenong needs to grow these appropriately. Greens oppose overdevelopment. But I don't see over development. I see missed opportunity.
I am for secular administration. Everyone should profit from good governance. I see a failure of planning whereby a local church of over 600 members who meet regularly, many at least twice a week, will not have a space where they can meet. Or an office. But these ratepayers are good citizens and not looking for hand outs. But they can't afford a commercial centre, as they aren't getting a commercial income. New Life have lived on Cleeland st at Chisholm for a decade, and now Chisholm want the space they are entitled to. But where does New Life go? New Life is international, with Dandenong their headquarters. Failure to plan is failure.
Youth crime is a bad problem that is related to youth unemployment. Some of the kids involved should be at school. But the delinquents are 'educated' by older unemployed. Red tape preventing our business from operating profitably also prevents employment. And everyone suffers.
Poor public transport with council not being pro active with constituent concerns is an issue. The 709 bus uses a small road for about 800m when a bigger road and better route is available for that corridor. Constituents have done all that they can, but council seem uninterested. Edu Kingdom on Abbott st are licensed to run on Saturday but no bus goes there. There is no foot path leading there from bus routes and to get from Dandenong Railway station to Edu Kingdom means a 90 minute to two hour journey each way. Yet Edu Kingdom and other close by business pay their rates and license fees. Public are expected to get there. That is poor planning
I am not a member of any political party, although I long ago applied to join the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party offered to discuss my admission, but I made them put it off until after the election. I am keen to join, but I have made commitments to the electoral office regarding my candidacy as an independent and I will honour that. I am an economic conservative, classically liberal (promoting the individual, not big government) preferring freedoms to over regulation. I want cheap garbage collection, not expensive fiddly wasteful stuff. I am stunned a planning failure has meant a housing estate in Dandenong needs satellite access to the internet, or expensive deals with Telstra.

Re: council elections 2016
DB
David Daniel Ball
Thanks for your reply.
However i have a few questions, you mentioned that you are classically liberal, except on opposition to religion, can you please explain what you meant by that statement.
I would like to know if you are for or against same sex marriage and are you pro choice or pro life.

Your questions are about me or my election platform? They are not well worded. As a legislator I don't want to have anything to do with marriage, that is something that church should decide on based on their conscience and constitution. It is, to my mind irrelevant as it is currently part of civil unions which is the law of the land. There are lots of things that are legal I would never do. I resist any attempt for churches to be forced to act against their faith or constitution. My church does not recognise the validity of same sex marriage. Dan Andrews has rendered it meaningless by declaring that gender is voluntary on birth certificates.
I am pro life, but I am told, and recognise the truth, that abortions are a necessary life saving procedure. They should be, as Israel says, rare. Abortions are not inconsequential and should not be a lifestyle choice. Again, I would not legislate against them but feel that people choosing them should receive counselling. I know of many who have regrets from abortion.
A classical Liberal is possibly a mythical creature. Think Abraham Lincoln, Gladstone, Peele, Jefferson and Menzies. The modern leftwing liberal has nothing in common with them. They stood for the individual living free, and not over regulated by the state. There have to be laws, or there would be anarchy, but the laws don't have to be so restrictive, so divisive, as they now are.
Getting back to the local election, abortions and same sex marriage have nothing to do with garbage collection, house planning or local business.

previous post ..
1 are you a Labor/Liberal/Greens supporter
I am not a member of any political party, but I am a member of the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) but not a representative of theirs. I am an economic conservative with Libertarian leanings. I differ with Libertarians in that I favour zero tolerance on drugs whereas they promote deregulation.
2 would you say you are a conservative or progressive thinker
I am an economic conservative and classically liberal, except on opposition to religion. So, I prefer small government. Individual rights that allow freedom. I despise censorious progressives that abuse the word to be regressive in extremist green/red fashion.
3 what changes would you like to see in our great City of Greater Dandenong
Cut red tape for business. Employ more young people with growing small business. better public transport facilities and vectors. More car parks for business. Appropriate spaces for worship (cf New Life need a home). Improved planning without the infrastructure faux pas Council created in the past, where housing estates are denied internet access.
https://conservativeweasel.blogspot.com/2021/10/4th-oct-review-of-historical-and.html