AN UNEXPECTED new element is entering the arena of this year's highly anticipated council elections in October.
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Basketball Ballarat chief Peter Eddy has confirmed he will nominate as a candidate in the City of Ballarat's north ward.
2020 is an election shaping up as a political battle with Australian Labor Party to officially endorse its candidates in an unprecedented move since council amalgamation in 1994. The move is part of a state-wide push to more directly engage with grassroots politics.
Mr Eddy, however, has declared himself as an independent candidate.
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This development comes as Mr Eddy tendered his intentions to retire as chief executive officer later this year to the Basketball Ballarat board in a meeting on Wednesday night. It is a role he has held for 30 years.
Mr Eddy's major achievements include leading the push for the near-$30 million Ballarat Sports and Events Centre redevelopment and bringing Commonwealth Games basketball matches to the Minerdome in 2006.
He felt now was the right time to retire but he was passionate about finding another avenue to give back to the community.
I have learnt so much about the need for our community to grown and evolve in recent years and I feel that I could contribute.
- Peter Eddy
"I've grown a lot of understanding for lobbying and major projects for Ballarat...I now see good projects and opportunities for Ballarat and not just basketball in Ballarat," Mr Eddy said.
"I have learnt so much about the need for our community to grown and evolve in recent years and I feel that I could contribute across a broad range of community matters if I was elected to council."
City of Ballarat's north ward takes in key growth areas like Miners Rest and Lucas which have been influential in the need for greater venue capacity for indoor sports.
BSEC has been built on bi-partisan support from three tiers of government and has been developed to benefit western Victoria.
Mr Eddy's Basketball Ballarat contract expires in December.