THREE new councillors have been elected and two incumbents have been left
without a seat in a down-to-the-wire election contest in Swan Hill Rural City
Council’s Central Ward.
Cr Greg Cruikshank was the ward’s best supported
candidate and the only current councillor in the ward to be returned.
He
landed 26 per cent of the first preference votes in his bid for a third term,
mimicking the strong support he received at the 2008 election.
The election’s
youngest candidate, 25-year-old Jessie Kiley was elected second, after gaining
ground during the distribution of preferences.
The only female candidate
elected, she received close to 15 per cent of first preference votes.
Ms
Kiley’s father, bridge campaigner Jim Crowe, was the third candidate elected.
He recorded slightly more than 17 per cent of first preference votes, but
was overtaken by Ms Kiley after the distribution of preferences.
No less
than four candidates stood a realistic chance of claiming Central Ward’s fourth
council spot, with Bill Moar, Michael Adamson, Yvonne Jennings and Lindsay
Rogers all recording competitive first preference results.
While Mr Moar
recorded the highest first preference result of the four, Mr Adamson surged
ahead to claim victory after the distribution of preferences.
In contrast to
the changing of the guard seen in Central Ward, incumbent councillors Les McPhee
and Gary Norton were returned comfortably in the Lakes and Murray Mallee wards,
while Mayor John Katis scraped home by just 19 votes in Robinvale Ward, for what
he described as a “sweet victory”.
In previous elections he has enjoyed much
stronger support, however a bitter rivalry with challenger Tim Williams appears
to have split the ward’s voters.
In the lead up to the election, Cr Katis
applied for an intervention order against Mr Williams and The Guardian
understands official complaints have been made about both candidates’ conduct
during the campaign.
Only 70.34 per cent of Robinvale voters lodged a vote
this year — 10 per cent less than in the 2008 election.
About 80 per cent of
voters in the municipality’s other three wards completed and submitted their
ballot papers.
Cr Katis said he would nominate to continue as mayor when the
new council meets in November.
A trio of Central Ward councillors will not
return to the table next month.
David Quayle did not contest the election,
while Bill Croft and Yvonne Jennings failed to achieve re-election; both
recorded a sharp decrease in support.
Cr Croft’s first preference vote fell from 915 in 2008, to 242 this year,
putting him in ninth place among the 10 candidates.
Cr Jennings received
1047 votes in the last election, down to 446 this year, making her the sixth
most popular candidate on first preferences.
Debate about strategies to
retain and attract young people to the municipality and the positioning of a new
bridge over the Murray River at Swan Hill were at the forefront of this year’s
election.
Only two candidates supportive of the ministerially approved lift
span bridge known as ‘option 9a’ now remain on council.
In Gannawarra Shire’s
Avoca Ward, which borders the Swan Hill municipality, Neil Gannon defeated Bryon
Winn.
He will join Oscar Aertsson, Keith den Houting, Mark Arians, Brian
Gibson, Neville Goulding and Lorraine Learmonth at the council table.
