On Monday, the Somerville Business Group hosted an informal Q&A session with Ben Smith, the independent candidate for the Flinders electorate. The event, held at the Somerville Community House, provided an opportunity for local business owners and residents to hear directly from the candidate about his vision for the region.
During the session, Smith made a firm commitment to transparency and engagement, pledging that if elected, he would hold monthly town hall meetings throughout the Flinders electorate over the course of his three-year term. He expressed that fostering stronger connections with the community is essential, citing engagement as a key factor lacking in the region.
“What I can promise to the community is that engagement is one thing that I think is missing down here, and that’s what I can provide,”
Smith stated.
He further emphasised that his promise to host regular town hall meetings was more than just an election promise.
“So my major commitment piece sounds a bit pathetic, but it’s really important to me, and that is that I’ll be here every single month doing broad-based town hall meetings in the electorate throughout the year,”
He continued.
“It’s not just election time, but every single month on average – it might be a couple of months off depending on sitting weeks, but I’ll be committing to 12 town hall meetings, with the agendas being set by the community.”
Smith explained that these meetings would allow residents to have a direct line of communication with him, in contrast to “closed door conversations with people.” His goal is to create an open and ongoing dialogue with the community, where the people’s needs and concerns are actively addressed.
The Q&A session was part of the Somerville Business Group‘s regular meetings, which also featured guest speakers such as Josh Sinclair, CEO of the Committee for Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula.
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