She ended up choosing Yanha Gurtji and said it was because of the diversity of the ward.
“The people obviously made it clear that they prefer a representative who lives where they run,” she said.
“I had a choice of going behind me, which is mostly residential areas (Poplar Ward) or in front of me, which is the heart and soul of Greater Shepparton (Yanha Gurtji).”
She has been a Greater Shepparton resident for a while, and established her professional career in the region.
“I graduated high school here, my kids were born at GV Health, I’ve built a nursing career here,” Ms Summer said.
She has been a councillor for more than a decade and is hoping to be a beacon of knowledge for the incoming group of councillors.
“I’ve been on council for 12 years, so this would be my fourth term, and I’m running because I think it’s very important that there’s succession knowledge,” she said.
“I want all the councillors who are elected to be the best they could be and represent their constituents in the best way they can without breaking any rules, and I would be very well-placed to help them do that.”
In terms of issues, she has some fan favourites top of mind.
“The basics are roads, rates and rubbish,” she said.
“I objected to the changes in the waste bin services, but I was the only one to object, and we need more people who are going to stand up and not necessarily follow the status quo to really represent our constituents.”
She also said Greater Shepparton could reap the financial rewards of better catering to a specific demographic.
“We have an ageing population,” she said.
“We have so many grey nomads who live here and who come through here.
“If we really did try to capitalise on that tourism pocket, we would really boost our economy.”
Ms Summer said she really loved the community and culture in the region.
“I love the diversity because that gives depth to our culture and community,” she said.
“We have all the services of a big city, but we still maintain that small-town feeling.”
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