By Ethan Benedicto
Putting the people first is of utmost importance to Akoonah Ward council candidate Samuel Dennison, as he puts himself forward for this October’s coming election.
Representing Berwick and Beaconsfield, Dennison has been a Casey local for over a decade, and most recently a Berwick resident; and from his time in the suburb, has acknowledged the area’s strong sense of camaraderie, a community aspect he aims to foster.
For Dennison, his take on the role of councillor is one of volunteering, and not necessarily a job where he clocks in, performs, and clocks out.
“You listen to people, you take that information and then you fight in a common sense way as to how everyone is looked after,” he said.
“We need to make sure we’re supporting people, keeping up with growth, people complaining about potholes and making sure roads are being looked after.
“It’s just about going to the community, I’m going to be knocking on people’s doors as well, in terms of residential houses and saying to everyone ‘Hey, I’m running for your area, I want to help you’.”
Having initiative is the driving point of Dennison’s agenda, the initiative to speak to the people, listen to their concerns and in turn put words into action.
Recalling an experience years prior of “leading the charge” against a string of crimes in his neighbourhood, Dennison took collaborative measures alongside neighbours to address the crisis.
“Since moving into my current street, I’ve felt welcomed and integrated into the community and I’ve made friends with my neighbours, people of all backgrounds,” he said.
“We had some issues on our street with crime, there was a home invasion on one of the houses and the neighbour was very shaken up.
“We all care about each other and want to be safe, so I led the charge in my area, talking to everyone and working out what we could do to try and make it safer.”
Hiring private security to monitor the street whittled the frequency of delinquent behaviour, and it was then that he began to realise the potential impact of a cohesive community, one that understands each other through open and honest communication.
At the same time, it came to Dennison’s attention earlier in the year that a number of previously sacked Casey councillors were looking to play their hand for the upcoming election; at that point, neighbours and friends were telling Dennison to run.
“They were saying, ‘How is this even possible’, and they said I should run; ‘You’re doing stuff for the street, you’ve been helping us out’, they said.
“’ You talk to people, you get involved, and I couldn’t think of a reason why I shouldn’t do it, and I thought you know what, I can do this,” he said.
Running a small business consisting of himself and five others, Dennison is well versed in interacting with the local community, once more building on that sentiment as a volunteer role, where he “gives back” to the people.
Prior to his consideration of running for Akoonah Ward, Dennison spoke on family, friends and neighbours who sought his advice on a wide range of topics, saying that the reason why they came to him was that he gave them “straight honest advice”.
“An answer based on what the best thing to do is; it’s not about trying to beat someone or win when you shouldn’t, it’s just about going, ‘okay what’s fair?’.
“There’s always a compromise, one thing I’ve learned from talking to people is one person will say maybe they want more development and another might say there are too many cars in the street; you have to work it out, you have to make things organised,” he said.
Dennison also believes that councils should be “apolitical”, and that the councillors themselves should be “on the ground”.
“Talking to the community, talking to the businesses, learning what needs to be done and what issues are in the area for people,” Dennison said.
While only 33 years old, Dennison acknowledged that he is sure to meet some criticisms for his age and experience; however, instead of deterrence, he embraced it, noting that the main focus is listening to constituents since “they’re the ones with experience”.
“You’ve got people coming to you with all different backgrounds that have had all different jobs, different experiences.
“I think my role is to actually learn on the job, so I will learn everything I possibly can.
“I’m a sponge, I’ve got energy and I’m definitely eager to make sure I can understand how council functions in the role to deliver wealth to the community,” Dennison said.
At the end of the day, Dennison is hopeful for his candidacy, and that he is “ready to jump in and deliver”; but even if we were not selected, he has hopes for “good people” to be chosen.
