A fresh-faced, 22 year old, Jesse Cochrane Adolfson has thrown his hat in the ring as one of two candidates vying for the one va-cant Councillor position on Cobar Shire Council.
Jesse drew the No 1 position on the ballot paper at the official ballot draw last Friday with the Local Government by-election to be held on February 26.
Jesse told The Cobar Weekly he has a genu-ine interest in politics.
“I originally planned to run for Council last year but due to my employment at the time [with the NSW Rural Fire Service] it was a conflict of interest.
“I am a strong believer in honesty, reliability, diligence and good, old common sense,” Jesse said.
“I am passionate about ensuring consultation is done correctly by ensuring the whole of the Shire is advised of changes that may affect residents.
“I would also like to see the Cobar Shire engage in more meaningful relationships with our traditional custodians.
“I understand the processes involved with Local Government and I understand how im-portant the decisions made within Local Gov-ernment are and that local councils are the level of government closest to the community.”
Jesse said he is able to bring a broad range of relevant skills and experience to the role of a Councillor.
“I have an extensive background in the busi-ness sector from contracts through to budgets and I have a strong understanding of how budgets operate within Local Government,” he said.
Jesse believes his skills in board level policy development and emergency management will also be of benefit to Cobar Shire.
“Cobar needs better policies that balance and encourage development—whether that be for residential or business—and I will advocate for improved policy development that caters to the community’s needs.”
He said as a Councillor he would work to-wards creating unity in council as he believes working together will be for the betterment of Cobar Shire.
If elected as a Councillor, Jesse said his goal would be to provide a more open system of Local Government with more community en-gagement to give residents better access to the policies and decisions that directly affect them and that anyone who has an opinion would have a chance to be heard.
“I aim to provide a new outlook on the Council with a strong focus on issues impact-ing the youth and families of Cobar.
“I am a proud Gadigal man – I was born and raised in Broken Hill, and I have a strong fami-ly connection throughout the far west.
“I have lived in Cobar since 2019, originally moving here for a three-month contract with the NSW Rural Fire Service.
“My partner lives and works locally as a Primary teacher and, together with the help of the community, we have made Cobar our home.
“Although I am younger than the ‘current crop’ of councilors, I think that I will bring a different perspective to what is currently repre-sented on Council.
“I am a very approachable, kind and genuine person with a strong sense of community who likes to have a chat with everyone. If you see me around, please say g’day.”
