Melissa Cadwell wins Greater Geelong council countback

Greater Geelong’s newest councillor has been chosen. Here’s what you need to know.

Melissa Cadwell has announced her candidacy for the City of Greater Geelong council election

Melissa Cadwell has been sworn in as Geelong’s newest councillor.

The Victorian Electoral Commission confirmed Ms Cadwell will replace outgoing councillor Sarah Mansfield in Brownbill Ward after her successful state politics bid last year.

“On behalf of Council, I welcome Melissa to the team and I’m looking forward to working with her to represent the local community,” Mayor Trent Sullivan said.

“I’d like to thank Sarah for her valuable contribution to the Council, and to the Greater Geelong community, over the past five years.”

She beat out former councillor Stretch Kontelj and Sandi Dwyer for the role and was sworn into the role on Monday afternoon.

Deputy Mayor Anthony Aitken welcomed the newest addition to the council.

“Melissa’s background will enhance the diversity of decision making of the council group and as a local living in Geelong’s eastern suburbs will become a strong voice in particular for St Albans, Newcomb and Whittington areas,” he said.

“All existing councillors wish Melissa well in her new important community role.”

Under the process, votes were redistributed among candidates who were unsuccessful at the 2020 ward election.

“The countback is based on the proportional representation method of counting,” Victorian Electoral Commission election manager Kathy Georgiou said last month.

“The candidate who achieves the quota will be elected.

“If no participating candidate achieves the quota, following the distribution of votes to participating candidates, the candidate with the highest number of countback votes will be elected.”

Announcing her candidacy in 2020, Ms Cadwell accused the council of being too “CBD-centric”.

“Brownbill ward residents – people like me, living in Newcomb, Breakwater and St Albans Park in the east, and Bell Park, Bell Post Hill, and Hamlyn Heights in the north, are fed up with being ignored by council and the current councillors,” she said at the time.

“The only thing they ever look at or talk about for the Brownbill ward are things to do with the CBD.”

Originally published as Melissa Cadwell wins Greater Geelong council countback