GETTING TO KNOW HASTINGS FIRST

GETTING TO KNOW HASTINGS FIRST

✦ With the upcoming Port Macquarie Hastings Council elections rescheduled to the 4th of December due to the recent surge in the COVID-19 pandemic, we talk to two members of the HASTINGS FIRST team.

HASTINGS FIRST is focused on the concerns of the community at the grassroots level. The team wants to provide the community with a strong, informed voice in Council on matters concerning its future. The five person team brings a wealth of local knowledge and experience coupled with professional expertise in key areas - with integrity at its core, it is prepared to work with fellow councillors to achieve the best outcomes for the community.

Niko gets serious

One of the candidates is a familiar voice to many although his name on the ballot ticket may not necessarily ring many bells.

Nik James Lipovak, who is also running for Mayor, may be better known to many as Niko, the voice of local radio station 2MC, which is now TripleM, for the past 18-years.

His long radio career has positioned him very much as a jovial larrikin, something some may hold resevrations against in the world of politics. We asked him flat-out, can he be taken seriously?

Nik very much acknowleged this as a challenge, if not necessarily a concern. Much of his radio persona, he says, was crafted purposefully, exaggerated almost – radio is entertainment and he was a host, hence his personality needed to be jovial, fun. But behind this lies a very serious side.

“It’s not all fun, games and jokes – when things need to be addressed and get done with purpose I have no hesitation at all,” Nik says.

“When things need to get done, be it on a committee or in the workplace, I have a very no nonsense philosophy: let’s work together and fix this, let’s get it moving, let’s get it done,” he adds.

This attitude extends very clearly to his poltical aspirations and he has a purposeful list of objectives that he intends to implement, should he be elected. Cohesive planning around infrastructure, and maintaining our pristine beaches and hinterlands is imperative, he says, as is planning towards areas such as roads, traffic congestion, homes, schools, and hospitals.

He may be better known as Niko but when it comes to the ballot paper Nik Lipovak is the name to look out for!

Trust Michael Clarke

For fellow candidate Michael Clarke trust is key.

Believing that many in the community have lost trust in the Government at all levels, be it Local, State or Federal, Michael identifies the need for trust to be re-established and reinstalled in order to build integrity.

“Once you have achieved that then the people will allow you to do your job,” he says. “They will listen to you and know that they can rely on you to focus on issues that matter to them.”

Having a standing in the local community for over 30 years, with both personal and business connections, Michael says the first thing that people who know him would say about him is that he is both reliable and trustworthy. Infrastructure and the cost and availability of housing are all key issues high of the agenda of priorities for Michael.

A long and successful career as an accountant and financial advisor has positioned Michael as someone that is deliberate in their thinking, that will weigh up both pros and cons in all projects and in all issues that are put before him.