By Charlene Macaulay
A second Wyndham councillor has officially put his hand up to run in this November’s state election.
Deputy mayor Walter Villagonzalo has been selected to run as the lead candidate for the Democratic Labour Party and will contest a Western Metropolitan Region upper house seat.
In a post on his Facebook page overnight, Cr Villagonzalo said he would share both the official DLP policies and his personal ones in due course.
“[As] a local resident of Hoppers Crossing and the western suburbs for 30 years and a full-time volunteer for more than 20 years … I wish to continue to serve and represent you in the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament,” he wrote.
Cr Villagonzalo was elected to his first term at Wyndham council for Chaffey ward in 2016.
He has yet to apply for a leave of absence from the council between the date of nomination and close of voting, in accordance with Municipal Association of Victoria guidelines.
His announcement comes a month after fellow councillor Tony Hooper announced that he would run as an independent candidate for the state seat of Altona, which is currently held by Labor’s Jill Hennessy.
As reported by Star Weekly, fellow councillor Intaj Khan is also considering a state tilt.
