Bunbury Mayoral candidates: Three-horse race clear as Yip, de san Miguel & Kerr emerge as stand outs

If Thursday’s City of Bunbury mayoral debate was anything to go by, it’s clear we have a three-person race for the coveted top spot. Based on their pitches to the business community, Amanda Yip, Jaysen de san Miguel and David Kerr were the standouts and gave a concise outline for their vision of the city and its council’s future. While many candidates focused on introducing themselves and an overall plan for their time as mayor, Ms Yip dived straight into a serious issue for the city — homelessness — and detailed how she would work to find where land and money could come from to help house those in the music shell. She was personable and well-spoken in her plans to help revitalise the city and was right about Bunbury being “on the cusp” of something great — and she might be the one to take us there. A well-liked community figure, Mr de san Miguel was humorous to win over the audience, yet still tackled the harder issues. His extensive business background would prove complementary to the top job, with his answers throughout the evening focusing on how council needs to and can attract investment into the city to generate growth. Mr Kerr’s wealth of experience in the tourism and business sectors was clear and his concrete understanding of the destination marketing Bunbury needs to focus on is something that will help the city capture the attention of the visitors it’s been hoping for. Like Ms Yip, he covered the complex issue of homelessness, saying the key was discussions with those sleeping rough and establishing a framework based on need. The three speakers were confident and commanded attention in the way they carried themselves and the ideas they conveyed. While candidate Michael Southwell was his usual confident and passionate self, the current Capel Shire president faces a huge uphill battle in new territory. He made it clear he recognised and appreciated the beauty and value Bunbury had to offer and said he was committed to helping it achieve its potential, but his lack of deep roots in the city in comparison to other candidates seemed to be a downfall in debate. His pitch to remove free ticketed parking from the CBD fell short when current City of Bunbury councillor Cheryl Kozisek revealed the council had already agreed to do so and were rolling out a new technology-based system in coming weeks. Ms Kosizek may be a strong contender in the mix, with her knowledge of the local business community a strength in debate. Candidate Gabi Ghasseb raised the interesting idea of attracting a world-class university to the CBD, but the remainder of his pitch and contribution to debate seemed less cohesive than those pegged as front-runners. Michelle Steck struggled under the nerves of public speaking — something that could be a problem if she became mayor. But once she found her rhythm she had strong ideas such as attracting a five-star hotel to the city and chasing more funding for events and sport. Bunbury councillor Tresslyn Smith demonstrated her affection for the rich history of the city, but her answer of “sprucing up” the city for her one idea to liven the CBD felt minor when compared to more residential housing to boost population or a new hotel. This election is an interesting one, but it looks like Ms Yip, Mr de san Miguel or Mr Kerr will taste victory after October 16.