Neil Reilly believes Kiama Municipal Council’s switch to a preferential ballot system played a role in his sudden departure as Deputy Mayor a day after being re-elected.
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Cr Reilly was declared Kiama’s deputy mayor for the next 12 months on Tuesday night and spent Wednesday representing Kiama council at a Southern Councils Group meeting at Parliament House.
On his return to Kiama, Cr Reilly was called to witness a recount by the general manager and returning officer Michael Forsyth in the presence of two other councillors, Warren Steel and Mark Way.
Cr Reilly had received four primary votes, Cr Steel three and Cr Way two, however the second preferences of Cr Way’s votes both flowed to Cr Steel, giving the veteran councillor a 5-4 victory.
A similar mistake caused last year’s Shellharbour City mayoral elections to be re-contested after Cr Marianne Saliba was initially elected as mayor with three votes ahead of Liberal councillor Kellie Marsh and Paul Rankin, also a Liberal at the time, who each received two votes.
Cr Saliba was eventually re-elected mayor by four votes to two.
In previous years Kiama council elected its deputy mayor by a show of hands, but on Tuesday, Greens councillor Andrew Sloan successfully moved that the vote be a preferential ballot.
A day later Cr Reilly said he was more disappointed than angry.
‘‘We have a fairly collegiate council, but I think there has been a fair bit of duplicity and it has left a nasty taste in my mouth ... and obviously it would have been much better if it happened on the night,’’ Cr Reilly said.
‘‘My understanding was if there were three candidates and the vote was three each then preferences came into play and that must have been what Michael Forsyth and Russell Park thought.
‘‘I was naive to nod and smile to the preferential ballot and that was key to it.
‘‘I’ve heard from the councillors that voted for me ... they are disappointed and feel like they have been dudded to a certain extent.’’
Mr Forsyth said it was an unfortunate miscount.
As returning officer he was able to change the result without having the council vote again and the mistake would be formally corrected when the minutes were presented at next month’s meeting.
Mr Forsyth said although the preferential ballot system was one of the options available to councillors he didn’t recall it being used at Kiama in recent times.
Cr Sloan, who voted for Cr Way, but whose second preference proved pivotal to Cr Steel’s election, said there was no reason he moved the motion to have a preferential ballot.
‘‘I heard people all around me saying let’s go with a preferential ballot so I put it forward as a motion,’’ Cr Sloan said.
‘‘We use preferential voting at the polling booth and that is recognised as a fair system.
‘‘All nine councillors voted for that method, I just happened to be the one to stick my hand up to move the motion ... and why not?
‘‘First past the post still requires a majority.’’
Cr Steel said he was convinced he had won the vote on Tuesday night, but didn’t want to complain at the time for fear of it sounding like sour grapes.