Local elections 2023: Stalwarts step away as fresh faces fill their shoes

Nearly half the councillors recently elected to the upper Great Southern’s eight local government areas will be taking a seat at the table for the first time. Of the 34 elected council members representing eight different shires in the upper Great Southern, 16 are newcomers breathing new life into their offices. Three councils were settled unopposed, while the remaining five went to a vote. Shires where councillors were elected unopposed The Shire of Broomehill-Tambellup did not hold an election after receiving four nominations for as many vacancies. Incumbent Crs Michael White, Doug Barritt and Steve Penny have been sworn in, welcoming newcomer Cr Sara Robinson. Mr White was elected president unopposed, and Cr Barritt will serve as his deputy, both on four-year terms, along with Cr Penny. Cr Robinson will see out a two-year term. Four councillor positions at the Shire of Kent were filled without opposition as president Scott Crosby and Cr Greg Hobley retained their seats and introduced the newest members, Crs Sue-Maree Reid and Dustin Harris. Crs Reid, Crosby and Harris will all see out four-year terms, while Cr Hobley’s expires in 2025. The Shire of Katanning called a special council meeting last Wednesday to introduce the new councillors-elect and president. Crs Matt Collis, John Goodheart, and Liz Guidera, who were rejoining, were accompanied by incoming members Crs Paul Totino and Ian Hanna as they took their oaths, administered by Justice of the Peace Lesley Black. Of the five seats, one was a two-year term, which Cr Guidera accepted. The Shire also announced the appointment of new president Kristy D’Aprile, taking over from Cr Guidera, who will assume the role of deputy president. Shires where elections took place The Shire of Cranbrook had the biggest reshuffle in the Great Southern, with seven seats up for grabs — four four-year terms and three two-year terms. Crs George Pollard, Daisy Egerton-Warburton, Perin Mulcahy, Robert Johnson, Lee Casson and Peter Slater have resumed their roles and welcomed the addition of Cr Peter Denton, who claimed the equal-highest number of preferential votes. Crs Denton and Egerton-Warburton each received 49 first-preference votes, while the newcomer Mr Slater secured 36 votes. All three candidates, and Cr Pollard have been elected to serve four-year terms. Mr Pollard replaces the retiring Phill Horrocks as president, while Cr Egerton-Warburton assumes the deputy president position. The Shire of Gnowangerup had five nominations for the available three seats, with one new face elected. Kate O’Keeffe (127 votes) and Mick Creagh (67) will resume as councillors, while Robbie Miniter (73) becomes the Shire’s newest councillor. Ms O’Keeffe will hold the position of president for a two-year term, replacing Fiona Gaze. Rebecca O’Meehan has been elected unopposed as deputy president for a two-year term, replacing former deputy president Greg Stewart. The Shire of Jerramungup has four fresh faces joining the council with the addition of Raegan Zachar, Paul Barrett, Nathan Brown and Gavin Mair. Mr Barrett took the lion’s share of the votes with 154 out of 475 (32.42 per cent). Mr Zachar (104 votes), Mr Brown (95) and Mr Mair (67) took the final three seats ahead of the unsuccessful Drew Dawson (55). Joanne Iffla and Julie Leenhouwers will serve as Shire president and deputy president respectively until 2025. The Shire of Kojonup had seven candidates vying for four vacancies, with three seeing out four-year terms and one a two-year term. After 556 votes were counted, Ned Radford and Cindy Wieringa were re-elected and will be joined by newcomers Kerryn Mickle and Mick Mathwin. Mr Radford received the highest number of votes (223) ahead of Mr Mathwin (132), Ms Mickle (71) and Cindy Weiringa (68). They outlasted unsuccessful applicants Susanne Bilney (30 votes), Ernie Graham (22) and Kevin Gale (10). Mr Radford, Mr Mathwin and Ms Wieringa, who was also selected as deputy president, will operate as councillors until 2027, while Ms Mickle will serve until 2025. The Shire has also announced the appointment of Roger Bilney as president, replacing Ned Radford. The Shire of Woodanilling saw three fresh faces added to the office, with Ian Garstone, Kahlia Stephens and Rodney Marshall appointed as newly elected members of the council. They replaced the outgoing president Stephen Jefferies, Tim Brown and Peter Morrell, who served 29 years on the council. Mr Garstone received an overwhelming number of votes to join the council with 92 votes — accounting for more than 50 per cent of cast votes. Ms Stevens claimed 53 votes, while Rodney Marshall beat Greg Smith, on the preferential vote, for the final seat. Dale Douglas, who has been a member of the council since 2017, and Russel Thompson, a council member since 1982, both ran for the presidency, with the former ultimately winning the election.