When Tasmanians take to the polls for the local government elections next month, they will have plenty of choice.
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At three events across the state on Tuesday – in the North, North-West, and South – the 481 candidates who nominated for a position were announced for 28 of the state’s councils.
Of these, 102 are standing for mayor and 135 for the deputy role.
The events also saw draws to decide the order of candidate’s names on the first rotation of ballot papers.
From October 8, the Tasmanian Electoral Commission will send candidate information packs and ballot papers to voters before voting closes on October 30.
Local Government Association of Tasmania chief executive Dr Katrena Stephenson said recent changes to the way local government elections operate in the state were likely behind the large numbers of people nominating for council roles.
“This is only the second election since Tasmania moved to all-in, all-out elections and the first time we have had to wait four years between elections,” she said.
“This in itself generates significant interest in elections, particularly if candidates have been waiting for their chance to stand.”
Dr Stephenson suggested an LGAT campaign encouraging more nominations could have caught some candidates’ attention, too.
Of the 481 candidates, there are 316 men and 163 women, which Dr Stephenson says is similar to what is seen among current elected members – with incremental growth in female representation.
LGAT will conduct a survey in early 2019 to capture a range of information about the new councillors.
City of Launceston
Eleven of the 12 incumbent City of Launceston aldermen are running in the upcoming Local Government election next month, with the only exception being Darren Alexander.
Mr Alexander quit his position as City of Launceston alderman during its August meeting so he could run for a place on the City of Hobart council – and also threw his hat into the Hobart Lord Mayor contest.
There are 32 candidates altogether, the largest number of contenders for Northern Tasmanian councils.
Of the eight City of Launceston mayoral candidates, only two are now aldermen – incumbent mayor Albert van Zetten and past mayor Janie Finlay.
There are also eight deputy mayor candidates, with six aldermen vying for the role and two new contenders in Andrea Dawkins and frequent Examiner letters to the editor writer Leon Cooper.
West Tamar
Twenty-two candidates have nominated for the nine positions on the West Tamar council, from Beauty Point, Glengarry, Legana, Riverside, Trevallyn, Swan Point, Clarence Point, Lanena, Exeter, Grindelwald and Greens Beach.
Incumbent mayor Christina Holmdahl will face Mark Price, Sven Wiener and Tim Woinarski, while the deputy mayor position will be filled by Allen Joy, Carol Bracken, Jorden Gunton, Richard Ireland or Marcus Pattie.
George Town
Incumbent George Town mayor Bridget Archer will vie for the top position in the region against newcomer Greg Kieser.
While the mayoral position is only a two-horse race, it will be a contest between five for George Town’s next deputy mayor.
Sitting deputy mayor Tim Harris will recontest his position, against two sitting councillors – Greg Dawson and Heather Barwick.
Two potential newcomers to the council, Dean Robert Gibbons and Quade Geale, have also put their hands up for the position.
There are also more than double the number of candidates for councillor positions, with 20 people nominating and only nine council positions.
However, there are only four women, and 16 men putting up their hand.
One high profile nomination is Andrew Michieletto, president of the George Town Chamber of Commerce and director of Harcourts East Tamar.
Dorset
Fourteen candidates have nominated for the nine councillor positions in Dorset, with three nominations for mayor: current mayor Greg Howard, along with Wendy McLennan and Edwina Powell.
Max Hall, Kerrie Donaldson, Dale Jessup and Leonie Stein have nominated for deputy mayor.
Current candidates Steve Arnold, Sheryl Martin, Lawrence Archer and Shaun Moore are not re-contesting.
The current Dorset council is 25 per cent female, while 56 per cent of 2018 candidates are women.
Flinders
Flinders council is set for a shake up with only three of seven incumbents re-contesting.
Current councillors Chris Rhodes and David Williams are both running for the position for deputy mayor, while Peter Rhodes is standing for mayor.
Flinders mayor Carol Cox, who has held the position for the past 11 years, is not standing for reelection.
Councillors Gerald Willis, Ken Stockman and incumbent deputy mayor Marc Cobham are also not re-contesting their positions.
A total of 10 candidates were announced on Tuesday, including new runners Annabel Apps, Sharon Blyth, Aaron Burke, Vanessa Grace, Anne Revie, Rachel Summers and Mick Rose.
Ms Revie is running for mayor, while Ms Blyth and Ms Summers will contest the deputy race.
Break O’Day
Incumbent mayor Mick Tucker will go up against councillor Kylie Wright for the role of mayor at the Break O’Day Council.
While there are only two candidates for mayor, five people will run for the position of deputy mayor, including incumbent deputy mayor John McGiveron and councillors Barry LeFevre and Glenn McGuiness.
Newcomers Bill Manning and Ross Quinn will also vie for the position.
Mr Quinn is husband of incumbent councillor Hannah Rubenach-Quinn, who made the decision not to reelect.
All current Break O’Day councillors aside from Cr Rubenach-Quinn are running for reelection, leaving 17 candidates for the nine councillor positions.
Glamorgan-Spring Bay
Four candidates have nominated to become Glamorgan Spring Bay Council’s mayor.
Incumbent mayor Michael Kent will recontest the role, alongside deputy mayor Cheryl Arnol and councillor Debbie Wisby.
Six candidates have nominated for the deputy mayor position, including incumbent councillor Jenny Woods.
Out of the 17 councillor candidates, only incumbent councillors Cheryl Arnol, Michael Kent, Debbie Wisby, and Jenny Woods are seeking re-election for the eight positions.
Council newcomers Keith Breheny and Rob Churchill are campaigning as a team for the mayor and deputy mayor positions.
Northern Midlands
All up, 15 candidates will vie for the nine council positions available – with seven of those not currently serving.
One of which is Jan Davis, a former Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association chief executive and Launceston Chamber of Commerce executive officer.
Councillors Dick Adams and Mary Knowles will also run for the top job, which incumbent mayor Councillor David Downie revealed he would not be re-contesting only last week.
The three will be joined in the mayoral race by another newcomer, Kim Peart.
Incumbent deputy mayor Richard Goss will again run for his role, alongside Councillor Janet Lambert.
Meander Valley
Incumbent mayor Craig Perkins, and councillors Bob Richardson and Ian Mackenzie will not re-contest their positions.
In their place, seven new names will join those running for a spot.
Two of the newcomers – UTAS’ Susie Bower and Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association’s Wayne Johnston – will join the race for mayor with councillors Andrew Connor, Rodney Synfield, and John Temple.
Another newcomer, Michal Frydrych, will run for deputy mayor alongside incumbent Michael Kelly and Councillor Tanya King.
- The Examiner and the Launceston Chamber of Commerce will host a Launceston mayoral forum on October 3 at the Tramsheds, Inveresk from 6.30pm.
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