HAWKESBURY Mayor Kim Ford has confirmed he will not run for election to Hawkesbury Council for another term.
Cr Ford told the Gazette he withdrew his nomination for Liberal Party pre-selection, which is set to go ahead on July 30.
Cr Ford said it was quite clear he would not gain pre-selection from the Liberal party, and decided not to waste anyone’s time.
“The Liberal Party didn't want me and I pulled out of pre-selection,” he said.
“I am leaving the place in a better position than when I found it.
“I am pretty happy with the results I have achieved over the time.”
Cr Ford said he would not contest the election as an independent.
Cr Ford said his biggest achievement as Mayor was helping Hawkesbury Council avoid amalgamation.
“Avoiding amalgamation has taken up a lot of my time and been a good result for the community,” he said.
Cr Ford, a member of the Liberal Party, was quite vocal in his opposition to amalgamation, despite the fact it was a Liberal state government, which wanted to merge the Hawkesbury with The Hills Shire Council.
He consistently spoke out on the issue, both in and out of the Council chambers
Cr Ford said his biggest regret was how the controversial changes to Council’s ratings system was handled.
“I would have put the rates up and then made them fairer rather than try to make them fairer,” he said.
“We tried to do the right thing by making it fairer for everyone and there was a big backlash about that.”
Opponents of the rate changes said they unfairly targeted the built up areas of the Hawkesbury, where people tended to have lower incomes.
However, Cr Ford and other backers of the changes have maintained that people in the urban areas used or had access to more services than people on rural properties, and therefore should pay their fair share of the rates.
Cr Ford was elected to Council in 2010, and has been Mayor for five years.
Cr Ford said he was looking forward to spending more time with his family, friends and running his business.
