Greens Cr Brent Hoare is hoping for a second term as a Ward 2 representative after the council elections on Saturday.
Ward 2 extends from West Faulconbridge through to Wentworth Falls and has been represented by the Blue Mountains Greens since the mid-1990s. Cr Hoare was first elected in September 2016. On Saturday he will be supported by local Greens members Jan Ardill and Helen Coltman.
Cr Hoare is based in Hazelbrook, in a sustainable house recently completed with his partner (and a huge amount of help from friends, family and a wide range of helpers). He has two adult daughters and works as a public high school teacher.
He moved to the Mountains in the mid 1990s and has been an active front line State Emergency Service volunteer for 22 years, and serves as an Advanced Firefighter with the Hazelbrook RFS which he joined in 2013.
Well informed by climate science since the 1980s about increasing frequent and ferocious extreme weather events, Cr Hoare holds a hose (and a lot of other hand and power tools).
Among his most outstanding achievements in his first term on council have been introducing the Climate Emergency motion, persuading council to join the Cities Power Partnership and embracing the Rights of Nature. Most importantly, by working respectfully and collaboratively with fellow councillors, council staff and his local community, Cr Hoare retains their confidence and support to continue to serve.
Jan Ardill has lived in the Mid Mountains for over 30 years. She is a retired social worker who most recently worked with community health and aged care in the Mountains and western Sydney.
"I love living in the Blue Mountains and walking in the bushland near my home," she said. "I feel passionate about the Australian landscape and protecting our native plants and animals from over-development and climate change."
"I believe we need to reduce our level of consumption and waste in Australia. I am also passionate about social justice, particularly the growing gap between the 'haves' and 'have-nots' and the many difficulties that our young people are facing. We must act locally and urgently on climate change - we cannot wait for the States and Federal Government to lead the way."
Helen Coltman has lived in the Mountains for 12 years. She is very happily settled in Lawson and enjoys living among the surrounding bush and friendly village environment.
She started her working life as an early childhood teacher among the orchards of Ardmona near Shepparton, Victoria, and later retrained and worked as a child and family counsellor in Community Health Wagga Wagga, and as an adult counsellor in Community Health Maclean in the Clarence Valley.
Ms Coltman chose the Blue Mountains to live as it is surrounded by the bush and has as many wonderful places to walk as anyone could wish. She loves Lawson's gorges, waterfalls and bush. And the people. She greatly appreciates that the Mountains has an alive and attuned population to culture, environment and concern for what is happening in the world as well as in our community.
The Greens are also fielding candidates in Ward 1 (Sarah Redshaw) and Ward 3 (Kingsley Liu).
