Cavanagh steps into rainbow ward

Peter Cavanagh, the newly elected councillor for Woollhara Council’s Paddington ward, comes to the position with a mind for business and an intention to prove exactly what the Liberal party can do for gay and lesbian people.

Standing in a ward with the highest proportion of GLBT residents in the Woollhara municipality, it was no surprise that Cavanagh’s reputation as an out and proud man was going to work for him.

There were, however, risks associated with running as a Liberal this year, especially in light of the Greens’ decision to run a candidate for the first time.

In spite of such threats, Cavanagh’s reputation as a businessman with the ability to relate to his constituents won out in the end, in an election that Cavanagh admits was dominated by personality.

There wasn’t a particularly big issue during this election in the Paddington ward, like White City was in previous elections. I think this one was more about grassroots issues and personalities, Cavanagh told Sydney Star Observer, before outlining his intention to use his position to push for greater recognition of GLBT businesses and residents in the area.

I think it is a plus to have one of our own on the council. It is a good message to get out there that the Liberal party supports the GLBT community.

Paddington in particular has a long and rich tradition of GLBT businesses and colourful residents, all of whom have enriched the area and I would like to see more recognition for those businesses and residents and the contribution they make to the cultural life of Woollhara.

As a Liberal member, Cavanagh believes he is better positioned to defend his constituents against the influence of developers under the recent Sartor planning laws, which removed powers from council and have a lesser onus to provide community consultation.

They take away a lot of the council’s powers and threaten to destroy much of the beauty of the area with overdevelopment, he said.

Before the next council election, there will be a state election. Only the Liberals can lobby against these laws through our state colleagues. No other party has the numbers at the state level to overturn or at least modify the laws.

We are also lucky to have Liberal mayors in Waverley and Randwick, enabling all three councils to work closely together. It also gives us a lot more clout on Macquarie St.