Failed Lord mayoral candidate’s new tilt at council
Adelaide City Council has secured its first nomination to fill the position Houssam Abiad left vacant.
City
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Two-time failed lord mayoral candidate Mark Hamilton will have second attempt at joining Adelaide City Council this term.
Mr Hamilton told The Advertiser he would run as an independent to fill the seat former deputy lord mayor Houssam Abiad left vacant.
The managing partner and principal of boutique law firm Grope Hamilton Lawyers has already served on council between 1982-93 and 2010-14.
Mr Hamilton, pictured, said he was determined to help the council overcome “factional dysfunction” and would push for more transparency.
“The council has vastly overused the confidentiality provisions on a series of issues to the extent that the community and ratepayers often have no idea what issues are under consideration until the issues are effectively decided,” Mr Hamilton said.
“It is possible to carve out the truly confidential parts of matters and allow public knowledge of the rest.”
Mr Hamilton finished second to Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor at the 2018 Local Government election, on 921 votes to 1164 votes respectively.
Reducing vacant office space, reinstating right-hand turns on King William St, allowing cars to drive on tram tracks and permitting cars to drive in bus lanes outside peak hours are key priorities.
Deputy Lord Mayor Alexander Hyde said “everything that is old is new again”.
“If Mark can come up with some exciting ideas, then I wish him the best of luck,” Cr Hyde said. “But if it going to be the same old council from the ‘90s then I would suggest the city has moved on from that.”
During his mayoral campaign in 2018, Mr Hamilton backed minority faction members Crs Anne Moran, Phillip Martin and Helen Donovan.
The Advertiser last week reported that Team Adelaide risked losing its majority in the chamber following Mr Abiad’s resignation, which he said was to take up other business interests in Adelaide and overseas.
