David Cramer - A Ward
David Cramer: Value for money, sport, services & environment.
"Good guys don't have to finish last," says David Cramer with a laugh when he's asked for his motto in life. This "good guy" from Collaroy Plateau is out to prove more than that. He wants to show that Warringah is not short of candidates for the Council who have talent and commitment.
"There's no way we have to go back to the bad old days on Council. We need new people with new ideas to put their hands up, and I've done just that."
After more than a decade delivering Services as part of a large IT company, David Cramer says he would like to bring that expertise to Warringah Council.
"You always have to do right by the customer - find out what they want and make them happy," he says. "Whether it's the basic three "R's" - rates, roads and rubbish - or anything else, Local Government should be about providing the best services at the best price. That's what you're there for."
It's the business aspect of being on Council that attracts him to the role. He is a good manager, sets high standards for fiscal responsibility, knows business structure and knows how to manage staff. "I'm a firm believer that you have to do the right thing, not necessarily the most popular thing," he says. "I have no problem with making hard decisions when necessary."
David, 47, is married to Sally and has three school-aged children attending St. Augustine's at Brookvale and St Rose Catholic Primary School in Collaroy Plateau. David plays with the Collaroy-Cromer Strikers "oldies" and finds his weekends are a round of sports fixtures - netball, basketball and soccer - as he ferries the kids in "Dad's taxi".
Like all the members of the We Love Warringah team, he believes that team sports build self-esteem and self-confidence in children and are a way to instil family and community values in our children. He sees one of the main issues confronting sporting groups in Warringah is access to sports fields. "There are more and more adults and kids playing now and just not enough fields to go around. Everyone wants to get out there and keep fit, it's a great thing and Council should encourage it by making this a priority."
David, like most of us, wants to make the world greener for his kids, but is not into grandiose statements and projections. "We have to focus on what we can do as a Council - grey water systems, recycling our waste, reducing our energy use - simple, practical things that we can take leadership on and bring all householders with us."
David is an ex-Canberra boy who studied architectural drafting and industrial design and spent two years working in town planning for Canberra's National Capital Development Commission. He worked for 11 years in commercial architecture. He has lived in Collaroy Plateau for 15 years now and loves the laid-back lifestyle of the beaches. Most recently he has lent his expertise to working on a computer speech synthesis system for children with intellectual and physical disabilities. He finds his life to be full and busy - but as they say - if you want something done - ask the busiest person. "And, hey!" David says with that trademark twinkle in his eye, "Don't sweat the small stuff!"