Dear Reader,

This morning, I heard my name on an ABC broadcast. Nominations for Pre-selection candidates for the Nationals in the NSW seat of Monaro closed yesterday. There were Two nominations, John Barilaro from Queanbeyan and Myself.

Today, is the start of another chapter in my life, the life of a fairly normal person, an attribute that I would like to maintain in the abnormal world of state politics. If anyone out there wonders why someone who thinks of himself as "Normal" would want to get themselves involved in politics, I would say to them that "as politics affects society's every outcome, everyone is already involved in some way".

The foundation for my journey into politics was moulded by my early years, my parents values and the hard learned lessons of life. I started working at what is now considered to be an early age, I have been self employed and a wage earner and I nearly always started at the bottom and worked my way up.

At 47 years old, with some success behind me and a State Government who has plunged us into a previously unimaginable all time low, I have decided to step up to the mark and see what difference someone with a bit of courage can make.
The seat of Monaro is a huge area with many different communities, it is five times the size of the Palerang shire, of which I was a Councillor for over four years and success depends on a candidates ability to understand how people are forced to live and how they WANT to live. Somewhere in the middle lies the answer to every problem and it takes an experienced, strong character to deliver ACHEIVABLE promises.

I am looking forward to meeting many of you over the next few months, where together we can discuss what NSW could look like in the future.

Kind Regards,
Mark Horan