While she didn’t point the finger to candidates she preferred, speaking volumes at the polling booths was the face that representatives from the offices of both Mrs Williams and Federal MP David Gillespie were wearing the Pinson4Mayor shirts and handing out how to vote pamphlets.

We’re sure they can legally get involved in political candidates outside their offices – they’re “getting involved in their community.”

But what message does it send?

Since former state and federal MP Rob Oakeshott resigned from the party in 2002 some National Party members and supporters have pursued a vigorous campaign against him and similarly-minded candidates.

Mayor Peter Besseling has felt that ire as an adviser to Mr Oakeshott and as an independent state MP himself for the seat of Port Macquarie.

We in the media have seen it playing out, but proper political representation on the issues that matter to the community shouldn’t be a game at any level of government.

The money poured into advertising scare campaigns over the past decade must be incredible.

The party machines have the resources to maintain a constant flow during election campaigns in seats they feel are under threat from an opposition party or, especially, an independent.

Think on the “Don’t Risk Rob” billboards and placards most in this year’s federal election when Mr Oakeshott ran against Luke Hartsuyker for the seat of Cowper.

Scare campaigns are popular with political parties. Think Shorten and Medicare, or “Medi-scare”. Think Trump and pretty much anything outside America.

Campaigns based on fear saw Labor claw back lost seats in the Federal Parliament.

Are you happy to vote in accordance with these fear-based tactics and trust the, likely, cherry-picked information put forward out of context to discredit other candidates?

It’s time to engage and understand what is going on in local politics – at a local, state level and federal.

- Kate Dwyer