Today marks an historic occasion for the Illawarra as democracy returns to Wollongong and Shellharbour - and it is expected to bring a distinct blue tinge.For the first time in 20 years in Wollongong, and ever in Shellharbour, Liberal representatives are tipped to hold councillor seats.In Shellharbour, Liberal candidate Kellie Marsh is predicted to gain the party's first seat on the council, which had been reduced from 13 members to seven following a government review earlier this year.
VOTE: Are you pleased democracy has returned to local government in Wollongong and ShellharbourMeanwhile, Wollongong lord mayor hopeful and Ward 2 candidate John Dorahy is favoured to take a seat on the 13-person Wollongong council and could be joined by fellow Liberals Leigh Colacino, Michelle Blicavs and Bede Crasnich.Dennis Owen was the last Liberal to hold a councillor position in Wollongong, sitting between 1987 and 1991.The Liberals have reportedly invested substantially in the party's Wollongong lord mayoral campaign, making a solid push to capture the city's top job and establish a strong conservative presence on both previously Labor-dominated councils.If successful, the party could lay claim to furthering its advance into Labor heartland and changing the Illawarra's local government landscape like never before, heralding a new direction for our two great cities.But last week's Mercury-IRIS poll suggests the Liberals may not have done enough to snatch away an expected lord mayoral victory from independent candidate and former Church on the Mall minister Gordon Bradbery.The poll, if replicated today, would see Mr Bradbery secure 38 per cent of the primary vote and 61 per cent after preferences.In comparison, Mr Dorahy received 39 per cent of the poll's two-party/candidate preferred votes.The Labor Party is still expected to gain seats on both councils.But with the poll predicting a swing away from party-affiliated candidates, the bumper number of independents in both cities could also stand a chance of capturing many voters wanting to steer clear of organised politics.By 6 o'clock tonight, almost 180,000 voters from Wollongong and Shellharbour will have been given the chance to exercise their democratic right in selecting who will be the future leaders of our two cities.The 147 candidates vying for the 20 council positions on offer will spend this day vigorously campaigning polling booths across the region in an attempt to convince voters they deserve their trust, support, and most importantly, their votes.Counting of votes will begin as soon as the ballots close at 6pm, with expectations that Wollongong's new lord mayor could be named within hours if any candidate achieves an absolute majority of first preference votes.If not, the result will not be known until the distribution of preferences.Councillor positions will take longer to determine, the NSW Electoral Commission predicts.
