CANDIDATE DETAILS

Name: Stephen McCarthy
Council: Ballina Shire (Former A Ward)
Town/City: Ballina

After enjoying 8 years of representing the people of Ballina Shire, I would like to thank the community for their perseverance and resilience during this long road to go forward after the past few turbulent years. Naturally, council obligations, services and deliveries are finding a path through those constraints. Another, holistic problem going forward is the growing community as the population realizes they don’t need to live in the city. Infrastructure is key, therefore acknowledging our financial delivery constraints must be balanced.

I believe we are on the correct pathway. Much debate, ethically, financially and fairly is considered before this council progresses or timelines a project.

I love the fact that council has such a wide variety of personalities (very inclusive).

I constantly, compare council obligations with coaching basketball. You know, obtaining the correct mindset, building the culture you want, predefines the results you try to obtain. Forever learning is a constant. My favorite American, Abraham Lincoln once said, “There is nothing stronger than kindness” and I like that.

To know where you want to get to, you must have a guiding moral philosophy: To learn from mistakes and to be humble.

My representational philosophy is to give correction without resentment. I plan to win learning and education so the community can win outcomes, (not necessarily measured on a scoreboard, I don’t like that way of thinking). Would build my culture to learn

• Never try to be better than anybody else
• Always learn from others (Holistic)
• Never cease trying to be the best you can be, (only you will know that, you can fool community groups, each other, but you can’t fool yourself)

Would endeavor to teach the difference between winning and success (which is, “Peace of mind attained only through self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to be the best of which you are capable, under the conditions that exist for you”)

Would train to recognize the difference between character and reputation (one is what you are perceived to be and the other is what you really are) “Character is much more important”. You may think they are the same, but not necessarily so. Want to have character, not be a character.

By terms end I would like to acknowledge that “Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”

And “If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.”(Wooden 2003)

Reference

Wooden, J 2003, They Call Me Coach, McGraw Hill Education, viewed 5/10/2007 2007.