By Callum Ludwig
Former Chandler Ward Councillor David Eastham has chosen not to nominate for another term as a councillor, stepping aside after one term.
Mr Eastham was elected in 2020 and also held the role of Deputy Mayor for some of his term.
Mr Eastham said it was a very difficult decision, as he had no intentions of being a ‘one-term’ Councillor when he got elected, and is just as passionate about the local area as he was when he nominated four years ago.
“There are multiple elements that have influenced the decision but what it boiled down to was could I give 100 per cent to the community and the role of Councillor over the next four years and the answer is no,” he said.
“I have a few personal circumstances that have changed and as a result I know that I could not give that 100 per cent, particularly over the next 12 months, which is a crucial time for bringing new Councillors on, getting to know each other and of course ensuring the community views are represented in the next Council Plan.”
Mr Eastham had 6095 (58.88 per cent) first preference votes in 2020 with the next highest from the other three candidates at only 13.65 per cent.
Mr Eastham said he thinks his proudest achievements are not the big ticket items necessarily, but when he looks back he thinks of the times the council advocated for change and saw it positively impact individuals that he knew felt they had no one in their corner.
“So to be a Councillor or as a whole Council group, to advocate and change things that you can see really impact individuals positively is an incredible feeling, personally I always felt very proud of Yarra Ranges as a region at citizenship ceremonies, to have people that have decided to call Australia home, and to move to Yarra Ranges is just incredible and to be part of that ceremony is something I will always remember,” he said.
“I had spent a fair bit of time in the Local Government sector before getting elected, so I had a reasonably good understanding of how things worked but I would say now I have an appreciation for the fact the work is never done.”
Mr Eastham will be replaced by one of Belinda Grooby, Ashley Hansen or Gareth Ward following the conclusion of the Council elections in October.
Mr Eastham said his advice for anyone running in the Council elections and is fortunate enough to get elected is that you very rarely will please everyone.
“We all have diverse communities that we represent and that is amazing but it also means we have communities with various wants and needs, different opinions on pretty much everything, so listen to the community, make sure you get a diverse range of perspectives and then stay true to what is best for the community as a whole now and for future generations,” he said.
“The next Chandler Ward Councillor will come into projects that are half way finished that started in my term, just as I came into a whole range of projects that former Councillor and mayor Tony Stevenson had advocated for, so it is not about just trying to get things done while you’re elected, it’s making decisions and driving positive change that you may not be there to witness first hand, but it’s right for the community,”
“Personally I just want to say that if I could wind back the clock four years, I absolutely would still put my hand up, it has been an incredible experience and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity I was given.”
