VOTING has closed for the 2024 Mornington Peninsula Shire Council election, and the 36 remaining candidates now face a nervous wait for the results.
The Victorian Electoral Commission will continue to receive postal votes until Friday 1 November, but will begin counting the first group of votes (received by 6pm Friday 25 October) between Tuesday and Thursday this week. Scrutineer observations during this counting may shed light on some of the eventual winners, especially in wards with only two candidates where preferences will not play a role.
Only one candidate was withdrawn by the VEC during the election period, Bill Daish from Briars Ward, leaving that ward a two-way battle between Despi O’Connor and Anthony Marsh; both councillors in the previous term and ex-mayors.
There were the usual controversies about dirty trick campaigns, contentious sign placements and a run of duelling advertisements in The News; almost identical looking, with the opposing side both spruiking their green credentials.
There was even a complaint to the Local Government Inspectorate about The News, with the council watchdog asserting a violation of the Local Government Act by not correctly authorising a letter to the editor from a candidate.
The results will be officially declared on Friday 15 November, with new councillors sworn in at the council meeting on Tuesday 19 November.
Newly elected councillors will take up their roles at a pivotal time in the shire’s history, with fundamental challenges including a reduction in federal government funding, rate capping at below CPI, and a cost-shifting crisis expected to cost the shire $234m over the next five years (Financial crisis looms for shire, The News 22/10/24).
They will also have to contend with the controversial paid-parking decision that was delayed into the new councillor’s term by the last term councillors (Paid beach parking ‘mayhem’ not over yet, The News 10/9/24).
Perhaps highest on the list of urgent tasks will be the recruitment of a new CEO after John Baker resigned from the role last Thursday (24 October).
Reflecting on the process, Moorooduc Ward candidate Bruce Ranken told The News “I’ve done a stint at another council, and stood in a couple of elections, and to me transparency is the key”. “When people asked me a question, I gave them an honest answer. And I was open with people that, while I have not been a member of the Liberal Party for a couple of years, my values align with Liberal values. “One of the issues I saw was that candidates didn’t have to disclose their party memberships. The VEC questionnaire asked, ‘are you endorsed by a party?’ but not ‘are you a member of a party?’. “I think asking about party membership would increase transparency and make it easier for voters to know who they are voting for.”
Paul Pingiaro, who was one of four candidates contesting Tanti Ward said “we had a good group of candidates in my ward. It was good, civil, and win or lose, I met a lot of great people and built a few nice relationships”. Asked what he saw as the biggest issue facing new councillors, Pingiaro said “I see rate rises as part of the cost-shifting crisis. Cost shifting onto the ratepayers and residents”. “Rate rises are just a band-aid solution. We need to look at savings from the inside out.” “New councillors will have to run the whole operation like a business. Government, including local government, can’t continually look at residents and small businesses as a cash cow to be milked because they can’t make good decisions.”
David Gill said that “hidden under the usual promises and rhetoric, like having a rate freeze, lie the facts. The fact is a rate freeze was investigated last year and would only mean an average saving of $25 per property owner for the year, but would require a substantial reduction in services”. Gill saw the next council term as one that would be dominated by town planning and the Green Wedge. “There is always someone who believes that changes to the Green Wedge, or ignoring compliance obligations, won’t matter, and others that see an opportunity to exploit. “This can be very dangerous, and we need to be constantly vigilant if we are to retain what we love about the peninsula.”
Asked about the election process, Gill told The News “I was disappointed at the low number of candidates compared to four years ago. Some wards have very few candidates. I hope this doesn’t mean a lack of interest or belief in the importance of the work that councillors do”. “We need a vibrant and diverse group of councillors. Not all from one mindset, but that can bring different views to the table, encouraging debate, and resulting in the best outcomes for ratepayers.”
Anthony Marsh, previous term councillor and ex-mayor, told The News he believed a lack of candidate forums made it difficult for voters to decide who best represented their values. “The absence of forums makes the election basically an exercise in marketing,” said Marsh. “It is hard for ratepayers to not be swayed by whoever has the brightest flyers or best poster placements.”
Eddie Matt, the Rye Fire Brigade captain who ran in Nepean Ward said the sheer number of candidates made it hard to predict the outcome in his ward. “It was more competitive than other wards, and of course we had an incumbent as well, in Susan Bissinger.” Matt said the new councillors faced an urgent challenge to work together to appoint a new CEO. “We will be a new team. Potentially with very differing views on how things should be done,” said Matt. “We will, out of necessity, have to find common ground quickly to work finding a new CEO.”
First published in the Mornington News – 29 October 2024
