Labor’s Ann Martin will be back on Wollongong City Council after a commanding victory in Saturday’s byelection.
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Ms Martin, a former councillor who campaigned under the slogan “Experience Counts”, claimed victory about 7.45pm.
It was clear from early in the count that Labor would emerge victorious – with initial numbers showing voters saw Labor red at every polling booth.
The win sees Ms Martin fill the spot on council that was vacated by fellow Labor Party member Chris Connor.
The victory also means women now make up the majority of the city’s 13 councillors.
Ms Martin will become the seventh woman on the council – joining fellow Labor councillors Jenelle Rimmer, Tania Brown, Vicky King and Janice Kershaw, as well as The Greens’ Mithra Cox and Cath Blakey.
As at 8pm, Ms Martin had 50.86 per cent of the 24,725 formal primary votes counted, ahead of Independent Ami Beck on 19.01 per cent.
In claiming victory, Ms Martin thanked her team of supporters – many of whom gathered at the Berkeley Sports Club.
“I think this has been somewhat nerve-racking because I felt like I was re-entering the fire. But, as it’s turned out, I’m kind of comfortable with this fire-walking business,” she told the gathering.
“I think it’s also a real credit to the whole Labor team.”
An initial analysis of the primary votes shows Ms Martin won every booth counted. The result at one polling booth, Berkeley West Public School, wasn’t known at 8pm.