By Charlene Macaulay
A new date has been set for this year’s Wyndham mayoral election.
Councillors will vote in their new mayor and deputy mayor at a special council meeting on Wednesday, November 28, one week after the vote was orginally meant to occur.
As reported by
Star Weekly, councillors Tony Hooper (state election candidate), Walter Villagonzalo (state election candidate), Aaron An (state election candidate), Josh Gilligan (campaigning for Labor Party), Heather Marcus (knee operation) and Intaj Khan (travelling overseas) will be on leave and unable to vote on November 21, forcing the change of date.
The council needs the majority of its 11 councillors present for the mayoral election to go ahead.
In August, the council voted down a motion by Cr Gilligan to postpone the mayoral election so councillors contesting the state election could participate.
At the time, Cr Henry Barlow said that the only councillor likely to be on leave for the mayoral election was Cr Hooper.
However, last week he said: “If I had known then … we were going to be six councillors short, and therefore not have quorum, I would have voted back then to have the meeting moved back a week as was originally intended”.
Wyndham council corporate affairs manager Emily Keogh told
Star Weekly earlier this month that it was the first time in memory that a majority of councillors would be on leave at the same time.
Charlene Macaulay
