Power likely to be next mayor with coronavirus his biggest challenge

Whistleblower Darren Power, who is likely to become Logan’s next mayor, says the biggest challenges will be guiding the city through the coronavirus, drafting a budget in weeks and deciding on the next CEO.

Darren Power is expected to become the next mayor of Logan. AAP Image/Renae Droop

WHISTLEBLOWER Darren Power is likely to become Logan’s next mayor.

It is expected he will return to council chambers with the three councillors who backed him and supported former chief executive Sharon Kelsey.

ANGER OVER ECQ WEBSITE RESULTS

LOGAN WAITS FOR RESULTS

RESULTS LIKELY IN THREE SEATS

LOW TURNOUT ON POLLING DAY

WATCHDOG RULES ON HEREMAIA

Preliminary results show former Division 10 councillor Darren Power will take up the post after defeating seven other candidates.

He is likely to be joined by councillors Lisa Bradley (Division 1), Laurie Koranski (Division 4), and Jon Raven (Division 5) who are expected to be returned to their seats after one of the most volatile periods in the city’s history.

Mr Power said his biggest challenge will be to guide the city through the coronavirus but was also aware of having to draft a budget within weeks and help the council select a new CEO.

“This is going to be a tough job, and in many ways it is a poisoned chalice but right now we need leadership to get us through this coronavirus crisis,” he said.

“I served as the chairman of council’s Environmental Health committee for seven years so I have a lot of experience in public health but I will be immediately briefed by council’s Environmental Health Officers.

“I will also call for briefings from experts at the state and federal levels.

“The campaign was tough especially after we paid for how-to-vote cards and then weren’t allowed to use them.

“The coronavirus also deterred some but on the whole, most people did the right thing.”

The known whistleblower, decided to run for the position after the former mayor Luke Smith and seven councillors were charged by the Crime and Corruption Commission with fraud in April last year.

The former Logan City Council, Laurie Smith, Trevina Schwarz, Phil Pidgeon, Lisa Bradley, Steve Swenson, Luke Smith, Cherie Dalley, Darren Power, Laurie Koranski, Jon Raven, Russell Lutton, Stacey McIntosh and Jennie Breene.

The charges were related to the sacking of the former chief executive Ms Kelsey and led to the entire council being dissolved before Mr Power and three other councillors were then selected to serve on a committee to guide an administrator installed by the state government.

On Friday, the seven former councillors and mayor were unsuccessful in their appeal to halt an unfair dismissal case brought by Ms Kelsey and were ordered to pay Ms Kelsey’s costs.

FAB 7 LOSE SUPREME COURT APPEAL

Mr Power served as a councillor for 22 years in Division 10, which used to cover Shailer Park, Cornubia, Carbrook, Loganholme and Tanah Merah.

That seat was one of the last to be decided with the likely winner to be Miriam Stemp.

In Division 2, Teresa Lane had 46 per cent of the primary vote in a race with five others.

Dinosaur mascots may have got Mindy Russell across the line in Division 3, beating long-time campaigner Kerry Nielsen, who narrowly missed out winning at the 2016 election.

Seven candidates ran in Division 6, which was split down the middle after the boundaries were redrawn last year.

Tony Hall looks like he will win the seat and was leading the vote count in front of former Liberal State MP Mike Latter and the Greens Kirsty Petersen.

In Division 7, Tim Frazer had a quarter of the votes with less than a third of the votes counted.

The angst-ridden seat of Division 8, which covers Park Ridge, Regents Park, Logan Reserve and Chambers Flat, looks like it will be won by the city’s youngest candidate Jacob Heremaia.

DIVISION 8 COMPLAINTS

He became the centre of complaints for using a vacant lot as his registered address and claims he redirected traffic from his opponent’s website. The Independent Council Election Observer dismissed the review request about Mr Heremaia’s address, and was unable to find that Mr Heremaia redirected traffic as claimed. Mr Heremaiah denied both claims.

Mr Heremaia also said opponent Kylie Slater was working as part of a team and handing out how to vote cards for Division 5 candidate Jon Raven. Mr Raven said the claims were not true and he was not part of any team.

Division 9 councillor is likely to be Scott Bannan, a former One Nation member and Jimboomba concreter who won three world Muay Thai titles fighting under the nickname “The Cannon”.

Division 11 is expected to be won by high school teacher Natalie Willcocks, who has lived in Greenbank for 15 years and in New Beith.

The battle for Beenleigh was still being played out with five candidates all polling very closely.