The sessions were designed to provide potential candidates with information about being a councillor, answering questions attendees had about taking on the role.
“It’s designed for people who want to gather some information about what’s involved being a councillor,” Mr Raunic said.
“What will I have to do? What’s the time commitment? How will it impact on my other roles and responsibilities, engagements I have in the community or conflicts?
“We have a range of backgrounds, age groups, genders, geographical areas.”
In terms of campaigning, Mr Raunic has advice for prospective candidates based on his decades of experience in local government.
“My recommendation is (that) people don’t say, ‘if I’m elected I will, say, bring the rates down by this per cent’, ‘I will vote against this’, ‘I’ll make sure this thing is built’,” he said.
“Until you get on, you don’t know all of the different arguments.
“When you get on council, there’s a consultation process on most of the decisions. You could be sitting in a room and all these members of the public have different views, and they’re putting them to you.
“If you’ve already campaigned and got on paper, ‘this is what I’m going to do’ ... you’ve already made up your mind.
“Another councillor or member of the public could say, ‘they shouldn’t be involved here because they’re clearly biased, they’ve already made up their mind’.”
Mr Raunic also has recommendations on what candidates should prioritise during the nomination and campaigning process.
This includes the way that nominees campaign, whether it be through signs on the side of the road or posting on Facebook.
“If I was campaigning, I’d be talking about my history of community involvement, the things that I’m passionate about, the areas of the community I think I can contribute, rather than these binary ‘this will happen, that will happen’,” he said.
“I think you’ve got to be authentic in terms of what you think represents you and where you feel comfortable (but) there’s no doubt that social media is a really effective tool.
“If you feel active and up to it, knock on a few doors, go to a community place with your table saying, ‘I’m running for council’.
“I think people potentially want to vote for someone they feel connected to, and they’ve met.
“I would suggest that candidates look at all the different channels, and ideally seek to work through multiple channels because they’ll get to different members of the community that way.”
All candidates can complete a candidate statement to be included in the ballot pack sent to voters, and displayed on the Victorian Electoral Commission website.
This is a 200-word statement and photograph, which Mr Raunic believes are an important way for candidates to provide information about themselves and their ambitions.
“I would certainly be looking at statements that say who you are,” he said.
“Voters will often look for someone who appreciates their situation and has some empathy.
“In an ideal world, you get nine councillors who are all quite different: some older councillors, a gender balance, people on the land, people in town.
“(Voters) can’t know that about you if it’s not on your candidate statement.”
The VEC has a candidate helper tool for the nomination process, which assists the application and creating a candidate statement. It will be accessible from Tuesday, August 20, on the VEC website.
For prospective candidates who missed the sessions with Mr Raunic, there is a range of resources available from the VEC, including the candidate handbook. They are also encouraged to reach out to Campaspe Shire Council on comms@campaspe.vic.gov.au
Women considering contesting are encouraged to attend the Women in Council information sessions with Cr Despi O’Connor, on Monday, August 12, in Echuca and Tuesday, August 13, in Kyabram. Attendees are asked to register through the council website.
If you, or someone you know, is interested in standing as a candidate for the 2024 Campaspe Shire Council elections, please reach out to the Kyabram Free Press, Campaspe News, or Riverine Herald to make your intentions heard.
Contact Kyabram Free Press at editorial@kyfreepress.com
Contact the Riverine Herald at editorial@riverherald.com.au
Contact Campaspe News at editorial@campaspenews.com.au
