Three candidates were declared for the forthcoming Bye Election for a place on Rye Town Council.
John Izod – Independent, Geoff Lyus – Labour and Mary Smith – Campaign for a Democratic Rye were listed on the Town Hall Notice Board on Monday morning (28 May).
Both John Izod and Geoff Lyus have been Rye Councillors previously and Mary Smith is a member of several Committees that interact with the Town Council.
John Izod did not stand at the conclusion of his term of office in May last year. He is keen to rejoin the fray, especially as powers and finance may come back to Rye from Rother, and there are other battles to be fought. “A balance of sensible development with employment and services in mind has to be weighed against keeping Rye absolutely unique as a well run tourist destination”.
Geoff Lyus stands as the Labour Party candidate. He was first elected to Rye Town Council seven years ago but stood down a couple of years back because of pressures of work. He would like to see the town council meetings being held in the new primary school when it is up and running later this year, to encourage greater public attendance. If elected to the Rye Town Council, Geoff would like to maintain the unique calm and tranquil nature of the town, which first attracted him and his wife Julie so many years ago.
Mary Smith, of the Campaign for a Democratic Rye Group is hoping to emulate every one of the group’s candidates in the past, none of whom has failed to be elected. Her election address declares that she is not a member of any political party and does not believe that party politics have any place in Rye Town Hall. Her wish is to see open, honest and transparent local government, but with greater power for Rye and the surrounding villages.”
Rye Election 2008
John Izod 
Although born and raised in the South London area, witnessing many a doodlebug as a youngster, John Izod arrived in the Rye area 14 years ago, after being abroad in the Army and spending over 22 years in Torento.
From Iden he came across the Rye Players, the Rye Festival, Bonfire Boys and the Rugby Club. Latterly moving into the centre of Rye, he has added Age Concern, The Boys Club, The Chernobyl Committee, the Marketing Committee and lastly the Town Council and all its many committees.
A year ago he did not renew as a Town Councillor as this can be a frustrating task, more frustrating though his looking back in from the outside.
He is keen to rejoin the fray, especially as powers and finance may come back to Rye from Rother, and there are other battles to be fought. A balance of sensible development with employment and services in mind has to be weighed against keeping Rye absolutely unique as a well run tourist destination.
The bottom line is that people must be persuaded to spend and invest (yet contribute to) the town and surrounds. If May 22 was to be a “two horse race” he might well have stepped aside to save the £3,500 cost of an election. But it is not to be and after all, who would be Santa Claus?
Geoff Lyus
Geoff has been living in Fishmarket Road, Rye for 12 years. He works at the Crown Court in Maidstone where he is responsible for managing a team of 15 ushers. His wife Julie works in Bears Galore/The Corner House in Rye as a sales assistant.
His eldest son Ben also lives in Rye and works as a carpenter. Ben lives with Emily, his partner and Beth, a lovely little girl who they love to bits! Geoff’s youngest son Peter lives in Tunbridge Wells with his partner Kate.
If elected to the Rye Town Council, Geoff would like to maintain the unique calm and tranquil nature of the town, which first attracted him and Julie so many years ago. He would like to see the town council meetings being held in the new primary school when it is up and running later this year, to encourage greater attendance.
Geoff feels it is very important to reach out to those in the community in need of support and assistance – and to that end, perhaps lunchtime meetings might be a possibility.
Finally, Geoff would like to thank all those residents who elected him to the council 7 years ago for the very first time. He very much enjoyed working on the council over a number of years and would very much welcome the opportunity to work for his community again.
Mary Smith
I have decided to stand as a candidate for the Town Council in support of the Campaign for a Democratic Rye. I am not a member of any political party and I do not believe that party politics has any place in Rye Town Hall. I believe in open, honest and transparent local government, but with greater power for Rye and the surrounding villages.
I already take an active part in community life. I am keenly interested in literacy and am a committee member of the Friends of Rye Library. It is my belief that Rye should have the very best library provision possible. I am also concerned about the safety of my neighbourhood and serve as secretary of our Landgate Association. In addition, I was a founder member of Rye Allotments Association and served on the committee for several years. As an allotment holder, I see at close hand just how expensive it is for a distant district council to try to run allotments. Public transport is essential to me as it is for many other people in the community, particularly the elderly. Recently I was co-opted as a member of the Public Services Committee of Rye Town Council and will campaign to protect and improve bus service in our area.
Rye is a town rich in assets, but we have limited powers over them. The Campaign aims to bring back power to us locally by the division of the existing Rother District into three semi-independent areas.
Decisions about Rye should be made in Rye, not in Bexhill. The car park income in our town should benefit our community. We should not be subsidising the De La Warr Pavilion and defraying the expenses of the district council. For these reasons I joined the Campaign for a Democratic Rye in 2005. I now serve as its secretary.
“Rye’s Own” May 2008
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