Jane Lomax-Smith entry spells poll pain for Team Adelaide, Verschoor

A last minute entry into the Town Hall election race looks to spell doom for the council’s dominant faction and Lord Mayor. See the full list of candidates.

Adelaide City Council’s dominant faction is facing annihilation at the ballot box.

The five members of the so-called Team Adelaide are being challenged by multiple candidates who are independent or aligned to existing councillors from North Adelaide, the state Labor Party and, Chinese business interests.

Also under serious threat is Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor, who worked with former lord mayor Martin Haese and former deputy lord mayor Houssam Abiad to form a ticket of like-minded individuals before the 2018 council elections.

Ms Verschoor decided to stand for lord mayor when Mr Haese unexpectedly withdrew from the contest.

Jane Lomax-Smith. Picture: Kelly Carpenter

Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor. Picture: Kelly Barnes

The group, which subsequently became known as Team Adelaide after Mr Abiad registered the name as a website domain, since has controlled Adelaide Town Hall as a voting bloc for four years.

The late entry into the lord mayoral contest of former lord mayor and Labor state cabinet minister Jane Lomax-Smith is expected to see a preference deal negotiated with the other main challenger, former senator Rex Patrick.

Preference deals also have the potential to unseat North Ward councillor Mary Couros, who is seeking re-election against two-term city councillor Phil Martin and well-known North Adelaide community activists Sandy Wilkinson, Valdis Dunis and Robert Farnan.

Her two Central Ward colleagues, Simon Hou and Franz Knoll, are among 13 candidates who have nominated. Among is fellow Team Adelaide member Alexander Hyde, who has switched from South Ward.

Others chasing four vacancies include former councillor, two-time lord mayoral candidate and North Adelaide resident Mark Hamilton, Franklin St apartment complex resident Carmel Noon, cycling advocate and Labor Party staffer David Elliott and city-based financial adviser Ben Ayris.

Team Adelaide’s area councillor Arman Abrahimzadeh is facing strong competition for one of two positions against long-term councillor Anne Moran and former union leader Janet Giles. Six other people have nominated, making preference deals highly likely.

Team Adelaide is not represented publicly in South Ward with the move of Mr Hyde. This leaves existing councillor and Greens member Keiran Snape competing against 11 opponents for three positions.

They include fellow Greens member Sean Cullen-Macaskil, supermarket owner Theo Vlassis, Hutt St traders association president Collette Slight, former Burnside councillor Henry Davis, environmental consultant Mark Siebentritt and medical researcher Ida Llewellyn-Smith.

Ms Lomax-Smith said yesterday she nominated because the council needed “a reset”.