When City of Launceston mayor Albert van Zetten assumed office in 2007, few could have predicted he would still be in the role 14 years later.
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But that is just what Cr van Zetten has done, with today marking 14 years to the day he was voted in as Launceston's 91st mayor.
Cr van Zetten beat out well-known former mayor and Windermere MLC Ivan Dean by fewer than 1000 votes in what was one of the most hotly contested elections in history.
The win came despite the incumbent securing eight per cent fewer primary votes than his predecessor, but it matter little when third mayoral candidate Ted Sands's 6956 gave Cr van Zetten a winning margin of 12,551 to 11,594.
Cr van Zetten's win came on the back of a campaign condemning the controversial Bell Bay pulp mill.
"I only gave myself a 45 per cent chance because I think when you're the (incumbent) mayor you have got an advantage, so it is a surprise," Cr van Zetten said in the wake of his win.
The City of Launceston election came at the same time as other Northern council elections.
Now Liberal Cabinet Minister Mark Shelton was re-elected as the Meander Valley mayor, while Barry Easther comfortable resume his seat in the West Tamar municipality.
In the North-West, Alvywn Boyd was a comfortable mayoral choice for the Burnie Council and Lynn Laycock never looked like being beaten in Devonport.
Well-known euthanasia campaigner Mike Gaffney was a comprehensive victor in Latrobe for the third time, and he went on to win twice more before heading into state government.
Meanwhile, dredging work started on kanamaluka/Tamar Estuary at Home Point.
The proposal saw 5000 cubic metres dredged up over three weeks before moving to the yacht basin.
In a classic Tasmanian sport/politics twist, an independent consultant was brought in to examine how a partnership between the state and the Hawthorn Football Club could benefit Tasmania.
The review came after the state government had already entered into a $15 million sponsorship deal without releasing an analysis of the economic benefits. The report was set to cost about $45,000.
The report found the partnership, which saw Hawthorn play four games in Tasmania in 2008, would bring in $16 million each year over five years.
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