We want to know – what do you think are the most important issues for your region?

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.

There are a mix of business men including Testing and Tagging owner Bob Salt, Sporties owner Nick Daking and electrician Paul Spencer. 

Former Greens Bass MHA Andrea Dawkins has also put her hand up for a spot at the table, along with Legislative councillor Rosemary Armitage’s husband Bruce Potter. 

What do you think are the most important issues facing Launceston?

Just two candidates have put their names forward for the top job.

Incumbent mayor Mick Tucker is reelecting for the role, alongside incumbent councillor Kylie Wright.

Five candidates have been announced for deputy mayor, including incumbent deputy John McGiveron, incumbent councillors Glenn McGuinness and Barry LeFevre, and newcomers Bill Manning and Ross Quinn.

All together there are 17 nominees for councillor, including eight incumbent councillors who are reelecting for their roles.

New faces include Tyler Birch, Kristi Chapple, Nick Langoulant, Lesa Whittaker, Randy Wilson, and Brady James Young.

Tyler Birch is the youngest running for election at just 23-years-old.

Kristi Chapple is well-known in the region, especially for her efforts in helping to bring the One Night Stand to St Helens.

Lesa Whittaker is the leader of the No Wreck for Bay of Fires Tasmania group, which is campaigning against the scuttling of the HMAS Darwin off the East Coast.

Ross Quinn is husband of Cr Rubenach-Quinn, who is the only incumbent councillor not recontesting their role.

What do you think are the most important issues facing the Break O’Day region?

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 reelecting for the eight positions.

Other candidates include Annie Browning, Kenneth Gregson, John Heck, Tony McLeod, Clem Matthews, Petra Parker, Keith R Pyke, Grant Robinson, Michael Symons, and Lyn Taylor.

Council newcomers Keith Breheny and Rob Churchill are campaigning as a team for the mayor and deputy mayor positions.

What do you think are the most important issues facing Glamorgan Spring Bay?

The council covers an area of 5,130 square kilometres, extending east-to-west from Mount St John to Liffey Bluff, and north-to-south from Relbia to Tooms Lake.

With 10,123 enrolled electors, the Northern Midlands is the fourth largest council area by population in the state’s North and North-East, with City of Launceston, West Tamar, and Meander Valley councils out-sizing it.

In 2014, with 9628 enrolled electors, the council had a vote return of 61.75 per cent – also the fourth highest in the region – compared to the statewide return rate of 54.58 per cent.

What do you think are the most important issues facing the Northern Midlands?

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, and the candidates for alderman are Mervyn Chilcott, Jan Hughes, Murray Lade, Jerrod Nichols, Iain O’Neill, Trevor Charles Priestley, and Terry Smith. 

A shake-up at Dorset council is inevitable this year, with four candidates out of eight not re-contesting. Current candidates Steve Arnold, Sheryl Martin, Lawrence Archer and Shaun Moore are taking a step back from local government at the next election.

The current Dorset council is 25 per cent female, while 56 per cent of 2018 candidates are women. 

What do you think are the most important issues facing the North-East?

There are seven positions to be filled on the Flinders Council, with a total of 10 nominees vying for spots. 

Flinders council’s current mayor Carol Cox has held the position for the past 11 years, but is not standing for reelection in the 2018 local government elections. 

Councillors Gerald Willis, Ken Stockman and incumbent deputy mayor Marc Cobham are also not re-contesting their positions.

There are only three incumbents seeking re-election. 

They are Chris Rhodes and David Williams, who are both running for deputy mayor, as well as Peter Rhodes, who is standing for mayor. 

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.

What do you think are the most important issues facing Flinders Island?

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.

Former City of Launceston deputy mayor Frank Nott has signalled his intention to return to local government, announcing his candidacy for Meander Valley Council. He was elected as an alderman for City of Launceston council in 2002, eventually going on to serve as deputy mayor from 2009-11. 

What do you think are the most important issues facing the Meander Valley?

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 Joy Allen, Carol Bracken, Jorden Gunton, Richard Ireland or Marcus Pattie.

What do you think are the most important issues facing West Tamar?

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.

What do you think are the most important issues facing the George Town region?

While you're with us, did you know that you can now sign up to receive breaking news updates direct to your inbox? Sign up here.