Voting for the 2020 Mount Alexander Shire Council elections closed last Friday October 23 and vote counting commenced earlier this week. The successful candidates will be officially announced on Friday November 13.

In two wards current councillors Christine Henderson (Coliban Ward) and Tony Cordy (Calder Ward) have been returne office in uncontested elections.

In Castlemaine Ward (three vacancies) candidates listed in order of ballot paper appearance are: Gary McClure, incumbent Max Lesser, Keppel Cassidy, Bill Maltby, Toby Heydon, Stacey Raselli, Susan Mayfair, Michael Johnston, Rosie Annear, Hans Paas and Glenn Sutherland.

Three candidates vie for a spot in Loddon River Ward (one vacancy): Damien Kingsbury, Hilton Hazeltine and Matthew Driscoll. Two stand in Tarrengower Ward (one vacancy): Genine McHugh and incumbent councillor Stephen Gardner. 

The responses for the 2020 Democracy 4 Dinner Candidate Questionnaire for the Mount Alexander Shire Election are in.
Castlemaine’s Democracy 4 Dinner spokesperson Bryn Davies said 14 of the 18 candidates responded.
Mr Davies said all fourteen candidates who responded to the survey said that it is either ‘extremely important’ or ‘very important’ that Mount Alexander Shire Council commit to actions which contribute to tackling climate change.
“Housing affordability was the issue candidates had heard most often in their campaign. It is also was the equal most selected ‘top priority’ by our candidates along with waste management,” he said.
On waste, the largest number of candidates said council’s priority should be to work with the community to reduce the amount of waste produced (seven), followed by improving the amount and effectiveness of recycling in the shire (four). Two said the priority should be an annual/biannual hard rubbish collection, and one reviewing upgrading the waste transfer station/s.
“More candidates selected ‘Improving walking and cycling infrastructure’ as their top roads and infrastructure priority than any other issue. However, all those who did were from Castlemaine Ward,” he said. 
“Five candidates also listed ‘Paths, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure’ in their top three priorities, the equal second most selected priority.”
“In total eight candidates said the current rates were ‘too high’, two said ‘about right’ and five answered that ‘it’s not that simple’,” Mr Davies said.
Community members can view the analysis by theme at democracy4dinner.org
The full results for Castlemaine Ward, Loddon Ward and Tarrengower Ward are available at http://www.castlewiki.com/ 

Castlemaine Health aged care residents are set to benefit from new funding announced as part of the state government’s Regional Health Infrastructure Fund (RHIF). 
Thompson House, one of Castlemaine Health’s on site residential aged care facilities, is the recipient of $100,000 awarded through round four of the government’s regional health funding. 
The government established the RHIF in 2016 to improve health services and agencies in rural and regional Victoria. 
The funds will be used to project plan transformation of Thompson House into a dementia-friendly residence. See the Mail for more.