WHY I'M RUNNING FOR LORD MAYOR
Who is Sue Ritchie and Why is she Running for Lord Mayor?
Local community activist and consultant Sue Ritchie has entered the contest to be elected as the next Lord Mayor of Sydney with her call for “A NEW AND BETTER VISION FOR OUR CITY”.
Ms Ritchie says the slogan comes out of the direct feedback from the grass roots local community who are extremely upset with the current administration and its lack of consultation, and who are desperately looking for change and a fresh approach to meeting the needs of ratepayers and small business in the city.
“The proposal to move the cycleway from Moore Park Road to iconic Oxford Street is a prime example of the lack of common sense and lack of community consultation by the current administration,” Ms Ritchie said.
“Great cities have city villages which are the core of inner city living and vibrant local businesses. That will be destroyed with an autocratic approach to strategy that does not listen to and meaningfully consider the views and wishes of local residents and businesses. Local residents and businesses are extremely concerned and do not agree with the current Lord Mayor's vision for Oxford Street and fear that it will prove to be no more than a commuter thoroughfare that physically divides the village of Paddington in two and will devastate local businesses and amenity.”
She said the City of Sydney’s strategy over the past 20 years, to breath life back into Oxford Street in Darlinghurst had been a failure – with boarded up shops, a run-down streetscape, and the absence of visitors – all glaring examples of that failure.
Sue comes from a family with a strong sense of community, as the daughter of Don Ritchie, known as “the Angel of The Gap” who received the Australian Of the Year Local Hero Award in 2011 for his work to prevent suicides at The Gap in Watson’s Bay.
Sue is married to Claude Bereny and co-owner of The Beacham Hotel in Oxford Street. They have one son, Max Bereny.
She holds a Degree with First Class Honours in Information Technology from UTS and
has more than 35 years’ experience in small business and corporate I.T., as a consultant specialising in strategic planning, integration of diverse interests and change management, working with the highest tiers of management.
“ I want to bring that experience to decision making in Council and will seek to earn the support of the community by listening and representing their ideas and needs in policy outcomes, not imposing autocratic vision and policy on them.”
