Lismore meet your candidates

By Samantha Elley,

The Northern Rivers Times has asked all of the candidates for the Lismore electorate for the September 14 local government elections to introduce themselves to voters identify the issues they want to address and policies they would pursue if elected.

Group A Steve Krieg

I was born and raised in Regional Australia, spending most of my childhood working on dairy farms, carting hay and with shearing teams. I pursued a degree in education, and after graduating spent a year teaching in Brisbane. I then moved west to work in an agricultural school whose purpose was reforming troubled teens.

From 1998, I had the privilege of teaching in Casino for ten years. I thoroughly enjoyed my time teaching, making many friends who I still hold dear, but I knew that I needed a change. After much soul searching, my wife Julianne (Jules) and I left the security of our profession and bought La Baracca.

We took the opportunity to open Ristretto in 2017. In 2018, with the support of Jules’ Dad, Steve Hilder, we started Just Drive Driver Education. Our business experience has taught us many things. The trait that I feel defnes me the most as a person is loyalty. I’m loyal to my family, my friends, and my staff. I am also loyal to Lismore.

We share some history, this town and I (sorry, Cold Chisel) and I am determined to make a positive change in this community.

Lismore deserves to be recognised as the great regional city that it is, and together with my talented team of like-minded friends, and this amazing community, we believe we are the change that Lismore so desperately needs.

Jeri Hall

She joined LCC as a part of the Krieg ticket 2021. Sworn in two months before the catastrophic foods that submerged Lismore in February 2022, Jeri was on the front line providing buses; free of charge; transporting people between the evacuation centres and vital services whilst also being on the ground helping, feeding, cleaning, fundraising and supporting those in need.

With husband Aaron, they own and operate Halls Bus Company, which covers various rural areas such as Numulgi, Bexhill, Whian Whian, Dunoon, and Leycester. Jeri and Aaron are also partners in a cattle farm and a rural accommodation facility on the outskirts of Lismore. Jeri is an extremely communityminded person and is always heavily involved in volunteering in school life.

As Deputy Mayor during the last two years, Jeri has developed strong relationships with NSW Premiers Dominic Perrottet and Chris Minns, Ministers for Transport and Roads, Disaster Recovery, and countless other regional centres that have aided Lismore’s Recovery.

Jeri has also provided pivotal support in the transportation industry as the chair of the Traffc Advisory Committee with close relationships with Transport for NSW, locals schools and the community at large.

During her time on this committee, Jeri pioneered for the school interchange to remain at the previous Trinity site and helped to secure over a quarter of a million dollars’ worth of funding to be spent on bus shelter infrastructure to be built at the site to ensure the safety and comfort of children traveling on school buses throughout Lismore.

Jeri has built strong connections with parents, schools, and bus operators throughout our region to ensure that children and parents feel safe sending their kids on public transport throughout Lismore.

Jeri has fought hard to ensure that post-food, the children of Lismore still have adequate amenities to pursue their sporting endeavours, have a secure and safe passage to school and are also afforded the same services that they would have been pre-food and she will unapologetically always fght for the youth of Lismore.

She co-created an online mothers’ group for women, “Eat. Sleep. Mum. Repeat”, which has nearly 4,200 members, with the primary focus of supporting mothers in our region. In her prior careers, Jeri has previously worked in governance roles at Southern Cross University and St Vincent’s Private Hospital.

Andrew Gordon

As a Lismore real estate agent, I am a passionate advocate for job creation and a vibrant business community. Water security, food mitigation, and housing for all in the Lismore local Government area are my key concerns.

Raised with a strong work ethic and conservative values, I want to use my in-depth local knowledge to strengthen the traditional values and economies of the region.

With a 5th generation family business that has 96 years of continuous operation in the Northern Rivers, I have local knowledge to serve our local community, especially for small businesses which employ so many in our city. I would love to see fnancial responsibility from those who are elected to lead to ensure the services that can never pay are available to those who need them the most.

Electra Jensen

Electra has an extensive history as a manager in national and international businesses. She was born and grew up in Sydney but moved to one of our wonderful rural villages. Electra worked in Corporate Regulation for the Federal Government for several years and completed a Masters in Risk Management. She then worked for over 10 years across six countries/states for a large beverage company in Risk, Insurance and Health and Safety.

She also holds a degree in Security, Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism, a Graduate Certifcate in Health and Safety, and diplomas in Financial Markets, Real Estate, Investigations, Security and Fraud (in government), and recently completed a Certifcate in Business Continuity

Electra has a small property encompassing both farming and forestry.

She is a member of the Institute of Foresters of Australia, Lismore Rowing Club, and Far North Coast Canoe Club, enjoys exercising, and has a keen interest in travelling and exploring the natural world.

Andrew Bing

Andrew is most known as the former Dealer Principal of Trevan Ford in Lismore and Ballina. In 2005, he became General Manager and Director of the business, and then Dealer Principal in 2010. He purchased the dealership with his wife in June 2011.

During this time, Andrew and Robyne employed up to 65 staff across the two sites in Lismore and Ballina. They sold in 2019 to Frizelles.

Andrew and his family have sponsored many sporting clubs locally over the years including, East Lismore Hockey Club, East Lismore Cricket Club, Marist Brothers Rugby League, East Lismore Bowling Club and Lismore Speedway – just to name a few.

Andrew has also managed the A-Grade Men’s squad for East Lismore Hockey Club for many years and has won Clubman of the Year. He was also a board member of the Neighbourhood Centre, now known as the Northern Rivers Community Gateway from 2011-2016.

Gianpiero Battista

Gianpiero was born in Milano (Italy) and moved to Lismore in 1994 were he ran a number of successful hospitality venues with his wife Rebekka including Cafe Giardino, The Left Bank, and Mary Gilhooley’s. He studied at SCU for his Bachelor of Business and MBA and worked as a lecturer for 17 years.

In 2006, he was elected as Councillor for Lismore City Council for three terms, he has been a strong advocate for Lismore and was instrumental in Saving the Goonellabah Library from closure. He was also able to increase the local content percentage of all Council tenders from 10 to 20% to help local businesses succeed.

He served as a frefghter with the Goonellabah 316 Fire Station from 2019 to 2023 and he is the current president of the LisAmore Festival.

He is married to Rebekka Battista, the fundraising offcer for Our Kids and Our House, and has two sons, Isaak and Nathan, and a beautiful daughter-inlaw, Anniah.

Nardia Pidcock

Nardia is a long-time Lismore local, attending Our Lady of Lourdes, St Carthage’s, and then Trinity. Her grandparents on both sides had a long history in the area, as dairy farmers at Meerschaum Vale, and rural property owners of the farm which now forms part of the

Lismore Plateau. She has been connected to our community her whole life, both through her family and also her and her husband’s business and community groups.

Nardia started working for her now-husband Mark when she was 19, and they later married in 2007. She has now been in the motor trade in Lismore for over 20 years and feels very connected to that part of the community.

She has also been involved in various community groups, including the Tregeagle playgroup when her kids were little.

Like all of our team, Nardia believes our business community will be key to helping Lismore fourish again.

Widjabul-Wiabal man of the Bundjalung Nation. Growing up in Lismore as one of twelve children, Chris is the son of well-respected Aboriginal Community Liaison Offcer and Bundjalung Elder, Noel King (deceased), and proud Wiradjuri woman from Narromine, Wendy King (West).

Chris started his primary educational journey at Albert Park Public School, Lismore, and then went on to be a student of Richmond River High School where his love for rugby league and athletics helped him excel in many sports and opened doors for a variety of opportunities for him to experience high levels of sport as an adolescent.

Richmond River is where Chris met his wife Emma King (Wraight) and they now reside in South Lismore with their three daughters.

Chris’ love for sport has allowed him to have heavy involvement in community Rugby League as an active player and coach of Marist Brothers Rugby League for the past couple of years, as well as years of Representative Rugby League.

Whilst being employed as a Youth Worker for Lismore PCYC, Chris coached Lismore’s PCYC First Nations Under 16’ Team which is held annually and known as ‘Nations of Origin’.

Chris has worked hard for the employment agency, Tursa, in Lismore for the past 10 years, helping those in need of employment to gain and maintain employment through community businesses.

Chris was approached by Steve and was inspired to take the opportunity to represent himself, his family, and the Indigenous community to help Steve make a change for Lismore.

Chris hopes to see change in the way important Indigenous dates such as NAIDOC Week and Sorry Day are celebrated, and to assist Steve in creating connections to those Indigenous peoples within the Bundjalung Nation.

Tara Coles Tara attended Richmond

River High School and graduated in 2017.

Over the past few years, she has worked in various professional roles.

Tara spent four years in politics, assisting two different ministers and currently focuses on her family business, Mortgage Choice Lismore.

Since November 2021, she has been a qualifed loan writer there and has earned her diploma in mortgage broking. Additionally, she has experience as an announcer and speaker across numerous NSW business events and agricultural shows. She is a board member of the Lismore Show and has represented the Lismore Show as the young woman representative in 2022 and 2023. She was also honoured with the NSW announcers’ scholarship at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

Tara is an active member and player for the Goonellabah Soccer Club and enjoys being a student at Roxie Rose Burlesque dance.

Tara is one of four children, and she owns land and a house where she runs beef cattle and has beautiful pecan trees. She is passionate about advocating for young people in her community, focusing on enhancing nightlife, entertainment, accommodation, and job opportunities to ensure that Lismore thrives.

Mitchell Dowse

Mitchell is a family man and country boy born in Lismore, NSW.

As an apprentice builder, Mitchell is dedicated to honing his continued page 5