Major shakeup to WA councils as election results stream in
Local government elections across WA have concluded and there have been many significant changes.
All eyes were on the City of Perth to see who would take on the role of mayor following the departure of current Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas.
Acting mayor Bruce Reynolds, elected to the top jobThe WA Electoral Commission declared his victory as mayor on Sunday morning.
Reynolds wasn’t the only notable result; Lisa Ma was elected to the council when she was only 18 years old.
Former Fremantle mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge.
There was a closer rivalry in the city of Fremantle.
Incumbent Hannah Fitzhardinge was fighting for her place after five years as mayor of the port city.
But it was former councilor Ben Lawver who put him in office in a close count announced late on Sunday evening.
Lawver said in a statement that he was “extremely humbled and honored” to be selected.
“Hundreds of people from across our port city participated in our grassroots campaign,” he said.
“The combination of creativity and footwork with great love is the starting point of our positive movement towards a better Freo.”
Further south, Deb Hamblin, the City of Rockingham’s first popularly elected mayor, was ousted by councilwoman Lorna Buchan.
The mayoral race in Joondalup, in the north of the city, has not yet been confirmed, but former Liberal independent Ian Goodenough is vying for the top job after former mayor Albert Jacob said he would not re-contest the post.
Donovan Macdonald, founder of Big Don’s Smoked Meats and current City of Bayswater councillor.Credit: duncan wright
Donovan MacDonald, founder of Big Don’s Smoked Meats in Bayswater, has been elected as councilman in the West Ward.
“I appreciate the support of voters who clearly favor independents in many of the city’s races. I’ll have a lot to learn, starting with the vice mayor vote and next week’s agenda meeting,” he wrote on Facebook.
“But I am excited to continue to be a supporter of Baysie, both as a local business and as a council.”
And perhaps one of this election’s most controversial candidates, Australian Trump, was not elected in the Shire of Harvey.
In his candidate profile, he urges voters to elect him to “drain the swamp,” a term used by US President Donald Trump during his first run for office in 2016.
