There will be six new faces on Campbelltown Council when it meets on January 11 to elect a new mayor.
Three of them will be first time Liberal Party councillors, Marian George, Riley Munro, and John Chew.
They will sit alongside their party leader, the experienced George Greiss, who has been on the council since 2008 and who is still mulling over running for mayor.
Josh Cotter, who ran a brilliant campaign in the first election in charge of the Community First Team, was elected, and could have so easily have had a second quota.
Masud Khalil, the lead candidate for new group, Community Voice, was elected, and will join Matt Stellino from Animal Justice Party as another new face.
Mr Stellino, born and bred in Campbelltown, says he did not make any specific promises and pledges.
“I will spend the first week on council speaking to people involved in animal protection, including koalas, and learn as much as I can about what is needed,’’ he told the South West Voice.
“I have not yet thought about how I would vote in the mayoral election.’’
Warren Morrison will return for another term after his Totally Locally Committed Party won one quota.
While the Labor Party will have seven councillors, there are no new faces among them.
Almost 20,000 Campbelltown voters didn’t bother exercising their democratic duty this time around.
- Camden Council has ended up with the same make up as the last election: four Liberal Party councillors, three Labor and two independents.
One of the independents is veteran councillor Eva Campbell, who in the recent past has supported Labor in mayoral elections.
Which means the second elected independent, Peter McLean, who replaces one termer Rob Mills, the Mt Annan butcher, will hold the crucial vote when Camden elect their new mayor on January 11.
- In Liverpool it was a big win for the Liberal Party, who won the mayoral vote (Ned Mannoun) and half the spots on the 10 seat council chamber.
Last time Mannoun was at the helm, between 2012 and 2016, he left a lot to be desired.
Time will tell if being five years older has made him any wiser.
Labor mayoral candidate Nathan Hagarty said: “I’m proud of the campaign we ran.
“We fought hard and ran a positive and honest campaign within the constraints of the law, good taste and common decency,’’ he said.
“I offered Liverpool a candidate that has worked harder than any Councillor over these last five years and a team of genuine locals with strong links to our community.’’
- In Wollondilly Matt Gould was elected mayor, the first time the Shire held a direct vote for the top job.
Former mayor Robert Khan lost that battle and, it seems, also his bid to get re-elected as a councillor.
Khan will need a miracle to overtake Suzy Brandstater in East Ward, which elected Paul Rogers, Matthew Deeth, Michael Banasik and Suzy Brandstater.
In North Ward, Hilton Gibbs, Blair Briggs, Judy Hannan and Beverley Spearpoint look set to be sitting around the Shire council’s chamber when it resumes meetings.
