A Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) survey of successfully elected councillors has revealed the most common reasons that motivated them to stand for council and their campaigning tips for election hopefuls.
The wide-ranging survey of more than 170 current Victorian councillors has given a unique insight into the role of a councillor which could be useful for community members who are considering joining the 22 October election race.
MAV chief executive officer, Rob Spence said the top reason councillors chose to run was to benefit the community.
“Wanting to contribute to the community is a great reason to run for council because one of the main roles of a councillor is to become a voice for the community and advocate on important issues.
“The second highest reason councillors nominated was because they were recognised as community leaders by their peers and were encouraged to stand, and the third reason was to rise to new challenges.”
Other motivations identified in the data included a desire to increase the diversity of elected councillors, having a general interest in politics, and to get an issue fixed.
Mr Spence said it was pleasing that the majority of councillors were motivated by broad community issues rather than wanting to achieve ‘quick fixes’ on single issues like ensuring the longevity of one particular council service or promising lower rates to voters.
The survey also showed the top campaigning tips used by elected councillors were letterbox drops and print advertising. Councillors also identified the exchange of preferences with other candidates can mean the difference between being elected and not.
Mr Spence said the MAV’s Candidate Information Sessions were running at councils across the state to inform prospective candidates about the role of a councillor – to ensure they know what’s involved before throwing their hat in the ring.
“We encourage anyone who is thinking of becoming a council election candidate to attend a local information session or visit our Stand for Council website. Ensuring candidates have all the information is the first step in becoming a great community advocate.”
