Mayor Adele Hegedich has been ousted, two former mayors are likely to be re-elected and three other incumbents have been voted off Wyndham council in a surprising election result.
And the future of Harrison ward is in limbo, with the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) ordering a recount of votes on Monday afternoon.
Provisional results released on Monday morning saw the final spot for Harrison being snapped up by former mayor Kim McAliney by just one vote ahead of Point Cook resident John Frost, prompting VEC returning officer Heidi Burnell to order a recount.
“The result of this ward election included a number of close, critical decisions, including the last distribution. In these circumstances, it is appropriate to require a recount,” a VEC statement read.
“This decision was made by the VEC and was not prompted by any request.”
Both candidates welcomed the recount.
“This is definitely a good thing for good governance and transparency,” Ms McAliney said.
“If I was the unsuccessful candidate that missed out by one vote, I’d want a recount.”
Mr Frost added: “I’m happy I was in there with a chance, and I’m glad they’re doing a recount because it was so close.”
Other provisional winners for Harrison included independents Tony Hooper and Aaron An, and incumbent Labor councillor Intaj Khan.
The recount will commence at 8am today (Wednesday).
As a result, the declaration of results has been pushed back a day, with the final results to be announced on Thursday evening.
If the results remain the same, the new-look council will have an independent majority, seven new faces and only three women.
The election included its fair share of controversy, resulting in the Local Government Investigations and Compliance Inspectorate receiving 12 complaints regarding the Wyndham election.
Meanwhile, Wyndham council slapped 18 candidates with fines for illegally displaying political signs on council land.
Then, there was the sheer number of candidates – 95 people vying for 11 positions.
Mr Hooper, who is best known for his campaign to turn Point Cook into a sovereignty, secured the highest primary vote in Harrison ward.
He said he put his hand up to run because he felt the council had “lost its way”.
“I think the fact there’s been a significant change in guard says that the Wyndham community were not happy,” he said.
Fellow independent Aaron An, who is part of the council’s cultural diversity portfolio committee, thanked the community for voting for him, and said he was looking forward to serving the area.
Labor councillor Intaj Khan said he was excited to have secured a second term in office, despite a “#Khan41” social media campaign calling on voters to put him last on the ballot.
“They’re only a minority of people, and I thank the people that voted for me,” Mr Khan said.
“It’s a migrant community now, and this election result is a demonstration of that.”
In Chaffey ward, incumbent councillors Gautam Gupta, Marie Brittan and Michele Wharrie failed to win re-election, while fellow incumbent John Gibbons was re-elected for the seventh time.
“Looking forward, the focus will be on Werribee central,” Mr Gibbons said.
“We’ve done a lot of good work there, and now it’s time to follow it up.”
Both Ms Brittan and Ms Wharrie were philosophical about their respective losses.
“The community has spoken,” Ms Wharrie said.
“I’m confident the new Chaffey ward councillors – specifically John Gibbons and Josh Gilligan, will do an extremely good job. Being on council has been a wonderful experience, and I’ve enjoyed working with the community.”
Ms Brittan added: “That’s politics. But if I’m missing out to someone like Josh Gilligan, I’m more than happy to step aside … I’m sure he’ll do great.”
Henry Barlow, a two-time mayor who served on council from 1997-2008, is back on deck, joining first-timers Josh Gilligan and 2015 Wyndham citizen of the year Walter Villagonzalo.
Mr Barlow said he stepped down from council in 2008 because he couldn’t give the
role the time it deserved.
Now that he’s semi-retired, he believes it’s a good time to be back on council, and is keen to restore leadership and teamwork to the council.
In Iramoo ward, Heather Marcus and Peter Maynard were re-elected for their fourth and second terms respectively after polling highly in first preferences, while independent and lifelong Wyndham resident Mia Shaw made the cut following her first election campaign.
Ms Marcus said she was “delighted” with having the highest primary vote (4725 votes) of all the 95 candidates who ran in the election. “The result shows that people looked very hard at who they’d vote for,” she said.
Mr Maynard said he had been “very nervous” during the vote count.
“Looking at the result more broadly, the residents voted for us. It’s now up to the councillors elect to work for the residents.”
Ms Shaw, who was on the Wyndham council community panel for the 2016-17 budget, said she was shocked and excited by the result.
“I’m looking forward to working with the community. My family has been very involved in the community, and we’ve been here for over 100 years, so I’m just thrilled to be representing Wyndham.”
Mr Gupta, Mr Gilligan, and Ms Hegedich did not return Star Weekly’s calls for comment.
