Dempsey Morgan: Greater Geraldton councillor hopeful is a lawyer who wants to bring fresh ideas to council

Lifelong Geraldton resident Dempsey Morgan is running for one of four seats available in the upcoming Greater Geraldton election, and he’s prioritising population growth and housing. Mr Morgan grew up in public housing in Rangeway with his single mother, and now works as a lawyer. He said he was prepared to dedicate the time needed for the role, armed with his fresh enthusiasm. At 34, he is the youngest prospective councillor and one of his main concerns is seeing the City improve the connection between young people and their community. “I think building pride in our suburbs and encouraging locals to provide input and take ownership of their spaces would do good things for our community,” he said. Mr Morgan’s current role as a lawyer has given the council hopeful “the skills to understand policy and make good decisions for the future of our friends, family and kids”. “My work gives me firsthand insight into the current housing and financial pressure working families are facing, especially in regional areas,” he said. Mr Morgan raises the forecasted population growth of the City as something that needed to be a primary focus. Housing availability, amenities, youth engagement and infrastructure were the areas Mr Morgan listed as being necessary to develop to accommodate for the swelling size of greater Geraldton. Mr Morgan is keen to open the lines of communication between local government and residents, and hopes in doing so it will lead to a more diverse council. “For a lot of diverse people, they see no connection between local government and their daily lives,” he said. The prospective councillor said he brought a positive attitude, and was open to innovative ideas and solutions which he said he believed the City could benefit from. Residents are able to cast their vote via postal vote, which will be counted on Saturday, October 21.