T. Mahmoud 16/417 Liverpool Road, Ashfield, NSW, 2131 Tel.: (02) 97164661 Fax.: (02) 97164623 Mobile: 0412336693 Help Line: 1902221069 Attention: AshBUG 'oJ - Date: 19-03-2004 I thank you for writing to me about your AshBUG Activities. I am really glad to hear from you because I am a bicycle lover. I am a business director and a French teacher as well as a Psychotherapist. I used to have three bicycles in Amsterdam in Holland where they have special paths for bicycles. I love to see the same thing done in Ashfield and allover Sydney. If elected I will vigorously campaign for projects regarding bicycles. I will push to get the Council approval to build two bicycles stands at each side of Ashfield Station, two at Ashfield Shopping Centre, two at each side of Summer Hill Station, two at the Supermarket in Summer Hill and more in the other ' places that you and your friends, who are bicycles lovers, want. I want those stands to be built in such a way as to allow chains and locks to tie the bicycles to them to prevent theft. I will be a different Councilor because I promise I will not be like the others whom you only see at the election time and then you don't hear from them again until the next election. I will be in constant contact with all the residents of the South ward to seek their views, discuss matter s with them and after all to see what they want and to do it because this is what a Councilor is there for. So, vote me in and try me and you will never be disappointed. I got my life ruined in fighting injustice everywhere. It is my destiny to criticize very sharply. I am known for that. Not only that but I diagnose problems and offer viable solutions and fight to implement them. That's why I want to enter the Ashfield Council to make it something different and to be really seen to be different. I want it to be a real community thing. I will press for public meeting at the Council Chambers from time to time to get the public to vote on the most important issues concerning them. That is what real democracy is about and that is the people rule them selves by themselves. That was ~e way real democracy was run in the old days in Greece. The people them selves went to vote all the time, not to select the candidates, but to vote on all the issues that concern them, that is to run their own life. They were voting exactly as the parliamentarians and the councilors are voting nowadays in the Local Government and in Parliament. I will build special cycle ways for bicycles the same as they are doing there in Holland and in some parts of Europe. I want a one meter road cycle ways painted pink with white line edge made specially for the bicycles riders wherever possible for we have to be realistic because in some roads this is not possible but in some parts of those same roads it is possible. I want many parts of:' Liverpool road to have those cycle ways wherever possible. In some parts of it unfortunately this is not possible because those parts are narrow. I will press to get those cycle ways built in as many streets as possible and supplied with phosphor types things to make them bright, shining and reflecting at nighttime for the safety of the bicycle riders. I will be pushing for a yearly bicycles racing festival like the one organized in France and cal led " The tour de France". How about a festival here called" the Bicycle's Day" which will be a yearly racing event. I leave that to you and Jour friends to talk about it and to help me with Jour activities and enthusiasm to push the State Government to establish that Bicycle's Day. Any other creative ideas? Please do Jour home work with Jour friends and let me know. I am at Jour service at any time day or night and I will be always glad to hear from you. I hope that I have already touched on the seven points in your letter to me. But specifically I am of course in support of any affordable projects which improve the liveability and the sustainability of the Ashfield local government area. If elected I will promote the health benefits of bicycle riding as I will establish also the Ashfield Health Improvement Centre which will advise the residents on all aspects of health improvement to prevent being ill. I am a health minded person for thirty five years and I have a collection of many researches and articles on health which I am collecting for thirty years. I will make all those available to the residents of Ashfield Local government area to benefit from them as I did and that's why I am in an excellent health. I will be also giving lecture to all the residents about the health improvement factors It is very hard now to judge on how much of the budget should be directed to bicycles projects because I have to see the other projects and to work out a reasonable priority but of course a high percentage of the budget, that's as high as possible, must be allocated to the projects of bicycles riding. The increase in people cycling shows that people are becoming health oriented and their awareness about the benefits of cycling has improved. If elected I will support the review of Ashfield cycling Plan, the development and the implementation of the new plan. I will establish also the Ashfield Education Resource Centre to promote all aspects of education, self education and to help schools in the areas. I will establish also "The Non Agents Strata Schemes" to force changes in the Strata Scheme I Management Act to make it law that a strata agent can't be appointed to manage a strata plan unless all the owners of a strata plan, without exception, vote for him to manage the strata. That's to fight the sharks agents who use the owners as cows to milk them dry by collecting inflated money from them calling it levies while they are nothing but extortion of the owners to feed the bellies of the agents and their workers who are building their empires in the strata schemes exploiting the facts that owners have no time to fight them for they either submit or sell their units. Also, I want it to be a law that if there is at least one owner in a strata scheme willing and eager to manage the strata then the owners will be prevented by law from appointing a strata agent to manage the strata scheme and must allow that owner to manage the strata. My most sincere regards to you and to your friends Thanking you Yours sincerely Mr. Tosson Mahmoud