Roberto Colanzi 4 City of Yarra

I was first elected to Council in 2012 for the Nicholls Ward (Fitzroy, North Fitzroy, North Carlton, Princess Hill, North Collingwood), and was elected Mayor in 2015. And I am seeking your support for re-election to Council at the election on October 22, 2016.

My personal contact details are:
M: 041 22 888 00
Twitter: @robertocolanzi
Facebook: www.facebook.com/robertocolanzi
Instagram: www.instagram.com/roberto_colanzi/

At the 2012 Yarra election I campaigned on issues, that haven since been achieved & fulfilled:
• Building the North Fitzroy library & community hub, a 20 to 30 year project. In my first 2 years, saw it not just past the concept or design stage to now turning the soil & ‘putting the thing up’
• More childcare facilities & services - working with both private & not for profit providers to increase number of places, an example, assisted Frobel – the bilingual German Language Kindergarten which opened in North Fitzroy last year
• Parks & open spaces - led on addressing & responding to the public health, public safety concerns & infrastructure damage to our public parks at recent New Year’s Eves especially in Edinburgh Gardens
• Took a strong position against the developer construction encroachment on Williams Reserve in Richmond
• Supported the overwhelming community position to not harm the sensitive Rushall Reserve in North Fitzroy
• Provided prudent financial management of Council’s budget & services
• Supported & moved sound, fair & fiscally responsible Council budgets
• 3 year active member of the Audit Committee

On the environment
• Moved funding support for the Garage Sale Trail programme in Yarra
• Supported the implementation of Energy Performance Contracts for Yarra’s building stock
• Advocated for Energy Upgrade Agreements to be available to all local councils, which I am pleased the State Government will make available in 2016
• As a Director, active on restructuring & reinvigorating the Yarra Energy Foundation
• Supporting community led PV & solar initiatives, such as at the Fitzroy & Victoria Bowls Club
On Small Business
• Worked with many micro & small business across Yarra, especially in the arts & craft manufacturing, ICT, professional services, LGBTIQ focussed entities & entertainment providers
• Chair of the Business Advisory Group - the advisory committee made up of creative & successful business men & women whose businesses are based in Yarra
• Met & worked with the various local traders’ associations
• A key issue is not just the sustainability of businesses; but also that employability is a key condition for the ‘liveability’ of Yarra
• Initiated the rollout of free public WIFI – while on a trial at first, the take up & community & visitor support has been outstanding

Other activities on Council
• Member of the ICLEI Oceania regional board (Australia, New Zealand & Solomon Islands)– key objective is local government’s responses to climate change
• I was sponsored by the Taiwanese national government to speak on urban systems & climate responses in November 2014
• Member of Councils’ various advisory & technical committees
• Delegate to the Municipal Association of Victoria & ALGA,
• Chaired the Business Advisory Group, the Disability & Library committees. Through those positions led the development of the Economic & Tourism Development Strategy, & the Disability Access & Inclusion Strategy
• Had the Disability Officer at Yarra made full time and permanent
• On behalf of Council signed the MOU with the 9 Neighbourhood Houses located & operating in Yarra – who do such outstanding work in our community
• I worked closely with officers & opened the Yarra Social Hub linked to the International Aids conference held in Melbourne mid 2014: a conference with 20,000 delegates.
• Attended over 500 plus community meetings, events, fetes & art performances
• Through the Municipal Association of Victoria & RMIT University presented to well over 20 government delegations from the People’s Republic of China & Vietnam on the role of level government in Victoria, & explained how the City of Yarra operates & detailed its key dynamics
• In February appointed to the 2016 Local Government Mayoral Advisory Panel by the Minister for Local Government.

Issues that are ahead in Yarra
• Building & land use planning – both strategic & statutory are ongoing
• Yarra faces profound urban pressures & constraints – which will require innovative responses
• Consideration of vertical planning pressures & responses
• Our ratepayers & small businesses are not an ATM we can keep going back to, to pull us out of fiscal problems
• “Shop local” – for retail & services – most evident in our shopping strips
• Need to reinforce the economic as well as the environmental benefits of shopping local – we must facilitate the economic & environmental benefits of our 90,000 residents engaging with the 14,000 businesses based & operating here, & that also employ so many of Yarra’s residents
• Remain ever vigilant to emerging needs of our community
• Encourage Social entrepreneurship
• The indoor sports stadium – need to speed up that development
• Need to engage with the opportunities arising from Metro Rail & the positive spill overs for Yarra
• Environmental Sustainable Design & building design & usage
• Adapt to changing building energy systems & technology solutions
• Encourage & facilitate PV & solar panel take up through both private & public households & businesses
• Yarra is home to, & the Melbourne hub of, the LGBTIQ community. So many organisations, bookshops, community groups, health providers, social & entertainment providers are here; and continue to affirm that relationship & consider the business viability of many LGBTIQ enterprises
• Work through the opportunities & threats of the sharing economy – for example Uber & AirBnB – which raise significant regulatory pressures & difficulties for the Council
• Promotion of girls & women in sport, & the disabled in sport – accessing state Government funding for financial assistance for the provision of appropriate facilities & change rooms
• Ageing – With more retired people looking to stay in their family homes, & or are moving to smaller dwellings in or migrating to Yarra, is placing more & more current & long term urban & health pressures on Yarra.
• And there is much to do with realising the greatly needed Richmond High School
• Promotion, support & encouragement of the incredibly healthy civic society in Yarra - the neighbourhood houses, the not for profit organisations, & community groups. So much activity is hidden below the ‘surface’ & I am constantly delighted & surprised at the quality & quantity of successful community work undertaken.

Help spread the word!

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/roberto-colanzi/6/a08/680

Twitter: https://twitter.com/robertocolanzi @robertocolanzi

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robertocolanzi