Photo Credit: Theresa Hall-Dalliessi
Tootsie Gallery Cafe’s Cayla Pothan is another member of the community who will be running in the December Council elections. She doesn’t want to make any election promises other than to be accountable to the community and listen to their voices.
“I’ve always been a person who takes action and I’m accountable to things, so I think the position seems to be the sort of thing I think I’m good at.”
“I think listening and taking action are my biggest strengths, and there seems to be a big changeover in the Council and a lot of people aren’t running again, so I saw that as an opportunity to put my hand up and help out where I can,” she said.
Cayla recently listened to the last 12 months of Council meetings online. She said the groundwork already made by the current Council would be important for the next group to build on moving forward. She also believes there to be plenty of extra opportunities out there for funding, particularly for issues such as improving the look of the main street.
For Cayla, there isn’t a particular pet project that ignited her desire to be a Councillor. Instead, she wants to see the community in the Yass Valley continue to be strengthened and uplifted.
“The word for me is community. I think a lot of people use that word but they don’t actually live by that word or show it in their everyday life.”
“People are really important and it doesn’t matter where you live, whether it’s the smaller villages or the main body of Yass, I think it’s important that everybody feels included and that they feel like they have a voice.”
Besides running Tootsie Gallery Cafe, Cayla is a mother to three very active children, a Second Dan Black Belt in Karate, and has recently completed her manifesto, which is due for publishing soon. Living on a farm, she also enjoys plenty of time outside doing farm work as well as supporting her children and husband Chris in their different endeavours.
Max O’Driscoll
