The former president of the Woden Valley Community Council will run as an independent in the October territory election.
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Fiona Carrick says she wants to bring a voice to the Legislative Assembly that is not aligned with party politics.
It's the first time Ms Carrick, who is also a federal public servant, has run for public office. She resigned her role of community council president this week.
Ms Carrick is running in the crucial southern seat of Murrumbidgee, which is likely to play a key role in deciding which party wins office.
The Greens won the fifth spot in the seat by a couple of hundred votes in 2016, but with Caroline Le Couteur retiring, the Liberals will fancy their chances of snatching it.
Ms Carrick said she will advocate for a better balance of housing, employment and community facilities, alongside green spaces. "I'm hoping that people would like a voice that focuses on the issues in their communities as opposed to the party policy," Ms Carrick said.
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But she says she has no preference about which party goes on to form government.
"I'm willing to work with either side of politics to get the right outcome for our community," Ms Carrick said.
She said the government did not properly consult about key developments, and that she would provide a strong independent voice in the Assembly.
"I would definitely be asking a lot of questions about the decisions made," Ms Carrick said.
"For example the Woden CIT and how the site was determined.
"Similarly for SPIRE(hospital expansion), why the hospital master plan wasn't finalised prior to making such an important decision [about the site]."
Ms Carrick said people were frustrated about community facilities in the area, for example the Coombs shops not being filled with tenants and Cooleman Court not meeting people's expectations.
The community advocate said she was not just making up the numbers but believed she could win a spot in the Assembly.
Ms Carrick said she did not yet have views on what parties or candidates she would preference.
"It's about who's got the best policies at the end of the day," she said.