With the polls now open, I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of those who have supported myself and the ParraFirst ticket and our plans for the future. It has been heartwarming to hear how many Leagues Club and Eels members share our vision and belief that we’re on the verge of a new golden era.
And while many of you have contacted us with messages of support, I know that many of you are also frustrated and angry at the negative campaigning and deliberate disruption from others who are campaigning for this election. Some of you want us to “fight fire with fire”.
I want to explain why we won’t do that. I put my hand up for this role, because I love the club, I didn’t like seeing it underperforming and I wanted it to be great again. But I wasn’t prepared to compromise the club or its values for the sake of an election. Under the ParraFirst ticket we have always strived to campaign with integrity and honesty. We have focused on our plans for the future and what changes we wanted to implement. And we never made it personal.
This election, we feel we are justified to stand on our achievements. The Leagues Club has never been in better shape, the football results have improved dramatically and we have top quality people at all levels driving both clubs forward. We’re very proud of that.
I also recognise that we had to take some tough action over the past two years, and I don’t shy away from that. Our club is beholden to club regulations and our constitution and past failure to adhere to those rules have resulted in investigations of the club’s two former boards by the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing. I won’t have that on my watch, and all of the members I talk to around the club have applauded our efforts to put in place better governance, transparency and processes.
Unfortunately, elections bring out the worst in people and over the past 48 hours, some candidates and their supporters have felt it necessary to slander myself, the club and its staff. I’ve got broad shoulders and I’ll cop it sweet, but this behaviour only tarnishes the club’s image and reputation, and makes the job of our hard-working staff more difficult. The farcical scenes that have played out in the club already and the subsequent media attention this week, helps nobody.
And that’s why we’ll continue to campaign on the positives and not go tit-for-tat. That’s why we’ll continue to force everyone to play by the rules and not cut corners. If we don’t lead by example, we will never become the club we can be.
I’m sure those people aiming to disrupt and intimidate are hoping we’ll bite. They want to drag us into a slanging match. I can find no other reason for their actions and their words. But we won’t do it.
I believe in our members. I believe in our community. I believe they share our values and vision. However, that said, we’re in this together. Please take the time to vote – early indications are encouraging but it’s going to be a tight election and every vote will count. If you can’t vote, please encourage those you know to do so. We cannot afford to be complacent and let small factions rule our club. I hope you will all consider voting for the entire ParraFirst ticket to finally restore much-needed stability and unity to our club.
Steve Sharp
on behalf of the ParraFirst ticket
Tom Issa, Peter Serrao, Geoff Gerard, Andrew Cordwell, Tanya Gadiel and Paul Garrard
poor didums don't be sad.
