She was born and raised in the Goulburn Valley and said she was excited to run for the Pine Lodge Ward.
“Pine Lodge Ward is going to be one of the biggest growing ones in the next five years, so we need to make sure that we’ve got the facilities in place, that the infrastructure is there, that we know that we’re being looked out for and looked after,” she said.
“I’m really passionate about making sure that that’s heard on the broader scale.”
But why is she running for council now?
“Twenty years ago, I actually ran for council and I’ve been really passionate about local governance and community all my life,” Ms McCarty said.
“I was raised to always give back to the community you live in, be a part of where you live.
“My reason for going now is the ward system because it gives the public the opportunity to know the exact person they can contact.”
She said she hoped to be an advocate for young people, especially those in school and just coming out of education.
“I’m really passionate about investing into the community for the younger generations,” Ms McCarty said.
“We need to make sure we’ve got the top education here for them to want to stay; we need to make sure we’ve got relevant jobs for them that they can do.”
She said she was also keen to make sure council worked as one body rather than staying divided by wards.
“While it’s important to be the voice of the ward, we all need to work as a team to make sure that we’re looking for all of Greater Shepparton, and that’s the most important part. The ward system will give that voice to each area, but we have to work to make sure the whole community is considered,” she said.
Her favourite part of living in Greater Shepparton was the community, she said.
“Here you build those connections, and you build those structures and particularly with my business, I’ve built a lot of many connections and networks and I love being a part of the community,” she said.
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