Most of Shellharbour’s independent candidates are teaming up to swap election preferences, in what they say is an effort to break the “Labor stranglehold” on the council.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Six candidate groups, led by Peter Moran, Kellie Marsh, Helen Stewart, Steve Doyle, Diane Quinlin and Tony Pratt, have been holding meetings to discuss ways they can get at least three independents elected to the next council.
Greens member and independent councillor Peter Moran, who is again running an independent ticket, said he would allocate preferences to the other five groups.
“And I am encouraging the other five to do the same, because the best chance we have to break the stranglehold of the ALP on the Shellharbour council is to get three independents elected,” he said.
Former Liberal councillor Kellie Marsh said she was “not trying to get rid of anyone” but was planning to preference four of the other independent candidates.
She said she would not give any to Cr Stewart, as they did not share the same views.
Likewise, it’s understood Cr Stewart will not preferences Cr Marsh, however the Mercury was not able to contact her before deadline.
To launch the joint independent campaign, Flinders resident Steve Doyle has organised a family fun day this weekend, to be held at Beverley Whitfield pool in Shellharbour.
Mr Doyle said he was trying to stamp out party politics on the council, including that of the two groups of independent candidates which are made up of ALP members but are running as independents.
“I say they’re fake, because you can’t say you’re independent if you’re connected to a Labor party,” Mr Doyle said.
“This is a community based effort to make a change from political infighting. We had a meeting of the six of us, and not everybody agreed, but the consensus was they would preference up to four and five other candidates.”
He said the independents would not vote as a block if elected as councillors.
Mr Doyle said Labor and Liberal candidates were not be invited to the public event, being held at 11am on Sunday.
“Those that are not invited are Marianne Saliba, John Murray, Barry Bird and Nathan Cattell,” he said.
Community members can bring along issues they wish to raise about Shellharbour council.
“We’re going to to ‘pack the pool’ with people from the local community to make sure people’s concerns about the council can be heard,” he said.
Asked about the plan to “break the ALP stranglehold” Labor mayor Marianne Saliba said the independent candidates were acting like “a political party by any other name”.
“They’re getting very political in forming a block, and I think they’re kidding themselves if they think they’re being independent,” she said.
“Labor party members have no obligation to vote the same way as councillors – in fact there’s legislation preventing them from doing so – except when they’re voting on the mayor and deputy mayor.”