Business as usual for new mayor

STRATFORD has a new mayor and Neil Volzke says it will be business as usual, after a landslide win over Rusty Kane in the Stratford District mayoral by-election last week.
In a high turnout of 50.25% of voters, almost as high as the 2007 elections, Mr Volzke received 2887 votes and Mr Kane 282.
"The election was relatively uneventful," he said. "There were no major issues."
He said council will be supporting some exciting prospects over the next 12 months, including the new health centre planned for the town, and a community house, aimed at getting a number of social services together in one building.
"We will be making decisions on council projects such as the water supply upgrades and the upgrade of the town swimming pool."
"We will also be looking at the effects of the reduction in road maintenance funding from central government, which is a cause for concern. The council will be receiving $750,000 less in this funding over the next three years," he said.
Mr Volzke (54) has had a varied career.
Born and raised in Stratford, he attended Stratford High School and then spent seven years in Wellington, where he trained and worked as a radiographer.
He moved back to Stratford in the late 1970s and worked in various Taranaki hospitals for about 10 years.
He then purchased the family electronics and music business from his father Reg, and ran that for 10 years.
He currently is the CEO for Age Concern Central - managing Maryann Rest Home and Hospital and Marire Rest Home, a position he has held since October last year.
He was appointed as a Justice of the Peace in 2004.
He was first elected to council in 2001 and re-elected in 2004 and 2007.
He has been deputy mayor since 2007 and acting mayor since John Edwards died in August.
His wife Debbie has been a matron at St Mary's Diocesan School for the past 10 years and prior to that ran the Stratford TAB.
The couple have three children, aged 20 to 26.
Mr Volzke will be officially sworn in at a council meeting next Tuesday
At that meeting the council will decide who will be deputy mayor from the eight councillors, and also what to do with the now empty urban seat that Mr Volzke held.
The options are to leave the seat vacant until the next election or appoint a new councillor.
Should they appoint a new councillor it could be the highest-polling unsuccessful candidate from the last election, which would be Brick Mathieson.
The next local body election will be in October 2010.