Michael McManus has declared his career with Council, which dates back to 1995, will come to an end after the Council elections in September.

“At this stage, I’ve decided that now’s a good time to finish up with local government.”

“I want to focus on that next stage of my life,” he said.

Nearly 26 years ago, Michael decided to run for election to Council, which he puts down to his parents’ roles of service and a strong interest in politics.

“My upbringing was one of service and engagement. Dad and mum were always very active in the Yass community.”

“I’ve always been an active union member, and I’ve always been very active in politics and was very happy to put myself forward to participate in local government,” he said.

As one would imagine, a lot has changed in Michael’s time with Council, but one thing has stayed the same.

“It remains a very fulfilling, very enjoyable way to contribute to the community.”

“I’ve met some fantastic staff members, enjoyed their company, and I’ve argued with them, but I’ve enjoyed working with them, and I’ve met some fantastic Councillors, as well as the hundreds and hundreds of people I’ve met through the community,” he said.

Michael has also noticed significant changes in how he personally views the role and the issues in Yass Valley and noted that he now better recognises the vitality of a diverse group of Councillors because of his change in thinking.

“When I joined Council in 1995, I was a young family man, so I probably viewed Council through that prism.”

“Now that I’m a little bit older, I view it from a different, more developed perspective.”

“Which is why it’s really important for the Council to have diversity, young and old, man and woman, business employers, farmers and retirees,” he said.

As for the greatest achievements across his seven terms with Council, Michael said he was just as proud of some of the smaller projects as he was of the larger ones and reiterated the importance of collaboration and patience.

“The building of the dam wall, the building of Woolworths, all the way down to the extensive bicycle tracks and walking tracks in the different communities, and the significantly improved sporting facilities we now have.”

Yass dam wall overtopping August 09 2020 photo – Megan Cassidy

“None of that can be achieved by an individual, it’s a group thing, and it’s also a thing of patience,” he said.

The one issue that remains a sore point for Michael is the water quality, and he predicted it was an issue that would continue to grow in relevance for the next Council, especially as they await a formal commitment from the State Government.

“The quality of the water has always been a disappointment.”

“Unfortunately, the quality of the water because of the catchment is not at a standard that satisfies the drinkers of that water.”

“It’s not good enough and to improve that will be a huge challenge for the next Council, because of the amount of money it will cost and if the State Government reneges on its promise to pay for it all, it will be a big problem for Yass Valley Council moving forward,” he said.

When asked to offer advice to prospective Yass Valley Councillors, Michael said that they must acknowledge the need for collaboration with fellow councillors and warned against those wanting the position in order to be disruptive.

“New Councillors need to engage collaboratively with their fellow Councillors; it’s not like State or Federal Government where we have an adversarial parliament.”

“The best outcomes are achieved in local government where you can disagree with each other, but work and act collaboratively.”

“If you’re one-out in an antagonistic or adversarial position, you won’t achieve a lot, and if you go onto Council with the sole purpose of sacking staff, you’ll fail,” he said.

Michael, in the meantime, will continue working in his role with TransGrid, although admitting he’s nearing retirement and sees himself filling in his new found extra time, working with various local community groups and charities.

“I actually don’t know what I’m going to do, but there’s probably community groups and charities that I’d like to get involved with, but it just won’t be through local government.”

Michael joins Allison Harker, Rowena Abbey and Geoff Frost as current Councillors who have announced they won’t be running in September’s election. Michael’s departure depletes Council of more than a quarter of a century of corporate knowledge of council affairs and experienced chairmanship. The Yass Valley Times would like to thank Councillor McManus for his service to the community.

Max O’Driscoll