DANDENONG
dandenong.starcommunity.com.au
Tuesday, 3 November, 2020
/DandenongJournal
@StarJournal_SE
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Rotary dishes up help
Market is back in business
The show will go on in 2021
Former Stingrays stand tall
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Market rebounds For the first time in six months, all 200 traders in Dandenong Market have been allowed to open. Ruari, 3, with his mum Kate were among the crowds who embraced the easing of Covid restrictions on Friday 30 October. For more, turn to page 8.
Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS
Poll cliffhangers By Cam Lucadou-Wells At least four - and as many as eight - new names could be elected in Greater Dandenong Council’s 2020 elections. In early counting, four-time mayor Jim Memeti, former mayor Sean O’Reilly and sitting councillor Sophie Tan appear to be returned in Dandenong, Springvale North and Noble Park wards. First-time candidates Lana Formoso (Noble Park North Ward) and Richard Lim (Springvale Central) also appears elected. All five are ALP members. It seems near certain that a majority of at least six Labor councillors will sit on the next council. The six remaining seats are still in doubt including incumbents Angela Long (Cleeland), Zaynoun Melhem (Dandenong North), Tim Dark (Keysborough) and Loi Truong (Springvale South).
Sitting councillor Maria Sampey, with 20 per cent of primary votes, conceded she had lost her seat to Ms Formoso (40 per cent). Ms Sampey said her vote had suffered after her own Labor party and Silverton Cricket Club campaigned against her. Over her 20 year career, she’d advocated for elderly services such as community buses and a seniors dance. She also successfully lobbied for an afterschool and holiday program for autistic children and a ban on Round-Up at the council’s playgrounds. Some of her last notices of motion were to reconsider the council’s ban on backyard fire pits and for the council to rescind its approval of a controversial waste-to-energy plant in Dandenong South. “I can still, as a community member, be on the (council’s) positive ageing committee,” Ms Sampey said.
“Most councils have a ratepayers association. Maybe I can restart that.” In Cleeland Ward, two-time mayor Angela Long is leading the primary count from independent Dalibor Saula but the result will likely depend on preferences. In Dandenong North, ‘blue-and-yellow’ independent candidate Bob Milkovic narrowly led with 40 per cent of primaries so far. Behind him is ALP-member councillor Zaynoun Melhem (38 per cent). The preferences from the remaining candidate Gabrielle Maas, an ALP member, will be decisive. In Keysborough South, Greens candidate Rhonda Garad was marginally leading the primary count with 28.4 per cent. In what appears a two-candidate race out of the 11-strong field, ALP member Stephen Fanous (25.8 per cent) is behind by 176 primary votes.
Mr Fanous is expected to get a favourable preference flow, which is yet to be counted. He is preferenced higher than Ms Garad by other ALP-member candidates Ramy El-Sukkari (fifth, 7 per cent) and Gam Le (seventh, 5 per cent). He is also preferred by ‘blue-and-yellow’ independent Jeruisha Williams (fourth, 7.6 per cent) as well as three other running mates. Ms Garad is preferenced higher by ALPmember candidate Jessica Halliday (third, 9.9 per cent). In Springvale South, sitting councillor Loi Truong leads the primary count with 32 per cent of the vote. He is ahead of fellow ALP-member Leang Vuorch Kong (23 per cent) and ‘blue-andyellow’ independent William Billings (17 per cent). Continued page 2
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