Casting lots: Returning officer Eeon Macaulay with Greg McDonald, Halinka Panzera, Sophia Shen and Michelle Heagney. Picture: Tommy Ritchie 87715
By Noel Murphy
A MELBOURNE Cup field has emerged of new, old and recycled candidates for Geelong’s upcoming council election.
Fifty candidates are vying for 12 ward seats in addition to the nine pitching for the $170,000 a year job as Geelong mayor.
Familiar faces in the fray include former councillors Margrette Lewis, Anthony Aitken, Tom O’Connor and Tony Ansett, plus former state and federal candidates such as Liberal Angelo Kakouros and Greens convenor Bruce Lindsay.
Business and conservative interests have a strong presence but a telling change in the hopefuls is their green complexion.
Mr Lindsay is joined by Gavin Brown, Renee Otmar, Sue Perron, Judy Baldacchino, Carlo Missio, George Trimble and Tom Bennett but the environmental ticket is not entirely a united one.
In Austin ward, Mr Brown is standing against John Doull, the controversial Coryule ward councillor who famously filed a copied report after attending the Copenhagen climate change summit on the ratepayer payroll.
Geelong Sustainability Group president Dave Campbell and vice president Monica Winston are contesting Cowie and Austin.
Three ward seats have been vacated – Brownbill by former mayor Barbara Abley, Austin by sitting Mayor John Mitchell and Coryule by Cr Doull – attracting fields of six, five and five candidates respectively.
Overt major party associations by any candidates have been kept to a minimum, with only former mayor and federal candidate Stretch Kontelj and Ron Nelson openly Liberal, and Andy Richards Labor.
Strong contests are set for Windermere at Lara, Brownbill in Geelong and Coryule on the Bellarine.
At Windermere, cash-for-councillor casualty Cameron Granger is up against former councillor Tony Ansett, who during office was tackled over inappropriate use of council internet but argued he’d only been researching his heritage.
In Barbara Abley’s former Brownbill ward, a six-way battle sees Mr Kakouros against Ms Lewis, Greens’ Renee Otmar, realtor Greg McDonald, Gail Cook and Michelle Heagney.
In Coryule, where sitting councillor John Doull has exited, controversial former councillor Tom O’Connor is taking on four newcomers.
