Hobart City Alderman Jeff Briscoe and a full time college teacher with the Education Department said today after much careful consideration of the commitment and challenges that are required from the person in the Lord Mayor’s role, the chance to help to achieve Hobart’s goals convinced him it was time for him to stand.
“I am deeply passionate about Hobart, it’s history, it’s people and so I am seeking to make a greater contribution as the Mayor with the help of the residents of Hobart.
The last teacher that was a Lord Mayor of Hobart was the late Doug Plaister who taught Alderman Briscoe as a child how to swim.
” Doug was a hard task master, essentially throwing us in the deep end of the pool, as I recall, but he taught generations of Tasmanians to swim, including me and was an outstanding Lord Mayor of his time.”
” I would like to pay particular tribute to the outgoing Lord Mayor Rob Valentine who has won the deep respect and affection of the community and who has served a record term as mayor. I wish him well for his election for the upper house seat.”
“My campaign will totally be about policies and ideas not personalities. Yet the Mayor needs experience, compassion, competence and a little humor when representing the city.’
“ Who ever wins, it is important that the electorate is fully informed about their policies and I will be doing my best to interact with all the residents to share views. The election should not be characterized as the ‘big end of town’ versus the Greens. ”
“In the next few years Hobart residents will be significantly affected by water, power and other costs increases. The Council will thus need to be very careful with revenue and make sure it gains the best value for money for its ratepayers. “
“I will be releasing specific policy details, particularly about transport, regional cooperation, inner city and suburban planning, closer to the election date”
Alderman Briscoe will be standing as an independent and has confirmed today that he is not a member of any political party.
Background
Jeff Briscoe was elected as an Alderman in 1994 on his first attempt and has been reelected ever since. Jeff is a teacher at Rosny College having joined the Education Department in 1972 as a 17 year old.
