SEPTEMBER 21, 2017
YOUR INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
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PH: 4325 7369
ISSUE 167
Newly-elected Central Coast Councillors ready to take on the challenge
T
he results of the first election for the Central Coast Council were declared at around 3:00pm on Friday, September 15. The 15 newly-elected Central Coast Councillors will formally take an oath or give an affirmation to undertake their civic duties in the best interests of the people of the Central Coast at a special ceremony on Thursday, September 21. The ceremony will be hosted by Council’s new CEO, Mr Brian Bell, and Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds. The ceremony will start at 6:30pm in the Les Taylor Function Room in Council’s Wyong Office and will be open to the public. On Monday, September 25, an Extraordinary General Meeting will be held, again in the Wyong Chamber, for the Councillors to elect their Mayor. In the Gosford East Ward, the Liberal Party’s Ms Rebecca Gale Collins, was the only candidate elected from first preferences. Labor’s Mr Jeff Sundstrom was the second candidate across the line on the 17th count. Central Coast New Independent candidate, Ms Jane Smith, was also elected on the 17th count. Labor candidate, Mr Richard Mehrtens, was the only Gosford West Ward candidate to win a first preference quota with 25.6 per cent of first preference votes going to the Labor ticket. Liberal candidate, Mr Troy Marquart, was elected on the 22nd vote count along
An impromptu first meeting of Central Coast Councillors at the offices of Coast Community News: from left (front) Mr Kyle MacGregor (Labor), Mr Richard Mehrtens (Labor), Ms Louise Greenaway (Independent), Mr Van Davy (Pearl Beach), Mr Greg Best (Independent), Mr Bruce McLachlan (Independent), Ms Jilly Pilon (Liberal)
with independent, Mr Chris Holstein. In the Wyong Ward another Central Coast New Independent, Ms Louise Greenaway, also won enough first preference votes to get across the line, along with Labor’s Mr Kyle MacGregor. Former Gosford Councillor, the Liberal Party’s Mr Chris Burke, was elected on the 15th vote count. In the ward of Budgewoi, two Labor candidates were elected, Mr Doug Vincent and Ms Jillian Hogan. Former Wyong Mayor and independent Councillor, Mr Greg Best ,was the third candidate elected in Budgewoi. The three Councillors elected in The Entrance Ward were Ms Jilly Pilon (Liberal), Ms Lisa Matthews (Labor) and Mr Bruce McLachlan (Independent). The election results mean
the new Central Coast Council has six Labor Councillors, five independents and four Liberal Party Councillors. Across the whole Central Coast, independent candidates gained 31.6 per cent of the vote, Labor 29.8 per cent and a swing of 6.7 per cent across the board towards Labor. The Liberal Party won 39,525 votes, but the overall swing away from the Liberal Party was 6.9 per cent. The Greens secured 7.7 per cent of the vote but were unable to get any of their candidates across the line in any of the five wards. Mr Chris Holstein, former Gosford Councillor, Mayor and former NSW Member for Gosford, said in the days following the declaration of the election results that he had “started gathering my thoughts about things that need to be done as a councillor
and there are a litany of those things. “I have also thought about if, by chance, I was to get the mayor’s role, what would need to be done there as well,” Mr Holstein said. “More important to me than being elected Mayor, is that all of these people are going to have to be able to find some common ground and move forward. “I have 20 odd years in local government, six terms as mayor, and if I think rightly, that might be substantial in the overall scheme of things,” he said. Labor’s Mr Richard Mehrtens lives in Gosford and works for the Labor Member for Gosford, Mr Liesl Tesch. “I think I can wear both hats,” Mr Mehrtens said. “I am in politics because I see it as a really good opportunity to do work for my community.
“I work for the local member because I see that as another opportunity to work for my community,” he said. Mr Mehrtens works in Ms Tesch’s electorate office located in Blackwall Road, Woy Woy. “We see local government issues coming through the electorate office every day,” he said. “We are very accessible people and our workplace has been very public through this campaign, so when community members are looking for local government representation, they know where to find us,” he said. “The dying days of both Gosford and Wyong Councils were something people don’t want to return to. “This is such a good opportunity, whatever people’s views on amalgamation are. “This is an opportunity
to rebuild, with proper consultation, and make a real investment in proper transparency.” Liberal Councillor-elect in Gosford West, Mr Marquart, is the owner of Shoreline Flooring at Somersby. He grew up in Tascott and he now lives at Wamberal. “I decided to run within local government in all honesty through a frustration that I didn’t think the former councils were concentrating on the local issues. “I was continually frustrated by councils talking about ridiculous notions like changing Australia day, instead of fixing potholes. “I’ve been a member of the Liberal party for around about seven or eight years, but I’ve never been employed by any political party. “I have always been a business owner and I have always gravitated to the conservative side of politics. “Across the Central Coast there has been a significant achievement by independents, but in Gosford West Ward, the voters have preferred Labor, Liberal and Chris Holstein. “I personally believe those three individuals didn’t go in with just a one issue strategy. “We went in across the board, which is party politics. “I believe the people of Gosford West have said no we don’t want a one issue candidate. “We now need to work collaboratively and get the grants for the Central Coast from State and Federal Governments that it has been missing out on. Continued P3
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