Meet Bellingen’s mayoral and councillor candidates for the local government election 2024

It will be a tight contest in the Bellingen election as two former mayors fight it out for the top role and a total of 14 councillor candidates vie for only six positions. So who’s who in the zoo and what are their views?

The Bellingen River on the Mid North Coast meanders its way through the Bellingen shire where 14 candidates will vie for only six councillor positions in the 2024 local government election. Picture: supplied.

The region once voted the state’s greenest is voting for both mayor and councillors on Saturday against a backdrop of issues including the climate emergency and affordable housing options.

The current mayor of Bellingen, Stephen Allan, and the former mayor, Dominic King, will battle it out for the top position once again and are the only two mayoral contenders this year.

The electorate includes the towns of Bellingen, Urunga, Mylestom, Dorrigo and Valla.

Here are all the lead councillor candidates in each group in order of their appearance on the ballot paper.

Group A Independent – Stephen Allan, Eleanor Tree, Joanne Brotherton, Andrew O’Keefe, Linda Coomber and Stephen Ryan

Stephen Allan is the current mayor of Bellingen, serving the community since 2021.

Mr Allan has lived and worked in the Bellingen Shire for 34 years and was the community pharmacist in Urunga from 1991-2018.

What have you identified as a major issue in your area, and how would you address it if elected?

A major issue in our area is ensuring we maintain and improve essential services and infrastructure, including water, waste management, libraries, roads, and pathways, while protecting the unique character and environment of the Bellingen Shire.

Protecting our pristine environment is essential, which is why we’re implementing projects like the Sewering Coastal Villages project to safeguard our natural assets.

Our capital works program, the largest in the shire’s history, is already bringing significant improvements like the Urunga boardwalk upgrade, the Connell Park Precinct redevelopment, the Dorrigo High School footbridge replacement and the Mylestom tidal pool upgrade.

Mayoral and council candidate for Bellingen Stephen Allan.

Why should locals vote for you?

As the current mayor of Bellingen, I bring a strong commitment to our community, built over years of working closely with residents, businesses, and stakeholders.

What sets me apart is my track record of delivering on promises and maintaining transparent leadership.

Under my leadership at council, 90 per cent of the council’s decisions have been unanimous, showing that all seven councillors believe we are heading in the right direction.

From young people to seniors, from Megan to Mylestom, Bostobrick to Brierfield, Deervale to Valery, I focus on practical solutions, making decisions with the best interests of our community at heart.

Do you support high density housing in your area?

I support responsible high-density housing, aligned with the Bellingen Shire Local Housing Strategy 2020-2040, which focuses on housing diversity and sustainability.

The strategy emphasises the importance of infill development — housing within existing towns like Bellingen, Urunga, and Dorrigo — where infrastructure already exists helping thereby to prevent urban sprawl.

While high-density housing has its place, it must be done thoughtfully, ensuring we meet the needs of the community without compromising the natural beauty and character that makes the Bellingen shire special.

What’s your thoughts on housing affordability? How would you help address this issue if elected?

Housing affordability is a critical issue in our region, and while local governments have limited control over pricing, we’re taking proactive steps to address it.

A key initiative is the Bellingen Shire Community Land Trust (CLT), which keeps land in community ownership and offers affordable homes.

We’re working closely with the Waterfall Way CLT to provide sustainable, long-term housing solutions for residents in need.

We’ve also made significant strides in expediting development applications, with a 260 per cent improvement in approval time frames.

This effort is ensuring that new housing developments, as well as additions and alterations, are approved more quickly, helping to increase housing stock and alleviate the housing crisis.

Group B Independent – Graeme Milton Shephard, Joanne Cook, Cathryn McGuire and Stephen Glyde

Graeme Shephard is the grandson of a Dorrigo pioneer, and his family settled there to farm in the very early 1900s.

Mr Shephard is the Dorrigo Chamber of Commerce secretary and secretary of the Dorrigo High School P & C, as well as a retained firefighter at the Dorrigo Fire Station.

For 20 years, he has been involved in charity work in Cambodia, and supporting children and young people with study at a school outside of Phnom Penh.

What have you identified as a major issue in your area, and how would you address it if elected?

Council needs to return to its core business of roads, bridges, waste and so on.

The state of our roads in the shire needs immediate focus.

For the Dorrigo Plateau, the continuing problem of landslips and the cutting off of this important arterial road is certainly an issue and so the long awaited alternative route to the coast remains very real and urgent.

Councillor candidate for Bellingen Graeme Shephard.

Why should locals vote for you?

My core values are to bring a balanced response to every issue and, combined with this, I am a person of integrity and I believe that is what the electorate want to see.

I plan to make myself available by holding a pop-up councillor office in Dorrigo once a month for people to come and discuss anything that is concerning them.

And my team has two sitting councillors who will bring their knowledge and expertise to the table.

Do you support high density housing in your area?

Certainly I do not believe that the Bellingen Shire lends itself to high-density housing.

However I am very interested in the work of the Housing Action Group in the shire and particularly the prospect of the Community Land Trust (CLT) and I will certainly be following through on that.

I am attending the Housing Forum in Bellingen.

What’s your thoughts on housing affordability? How would you help address this issue if elected?

All the statistics say housing isn’t affordable and we all know many who are struggling to afford to buy and maintain payments on the houses they have bought.

There is much that could be said on that subject but for the Bellingen shire, I feel that the elephant needs to be eaten by at least taking a bite.

I may be wrong, but I feel that the aforementioned CLT idea has real potential to take that first bite and it certainly has the potential of beginning to address the real problem of affordability.

Group C Greens – Dominic King, Jennie Fenton, Alison Heeley and Wendy Firefly

Councillor Dominic King has been a resident of the Bellingen shire for 19 years and a councillor since 2012.

Mr King was the former mayor of Bellingen serving from 2016-2021.

He has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management and a Graduate Diploma of Education in Geography.

What have you identified as a major issue in your area, and how would you address it if elected?

One of the most pressing issues for the Bellingen Shire, and indeed the planet, is the impact of climate change on our infrastructure, safety, economy, water, biodiversity, food, and general wellbeing.

We’ve witnessed the devastating effects of floods, fires, and droughts on our local governments and communities.

As a response, we initiated the Climate Emergency Declaration in 2019 and have been proactive in strengthening our preparedness and resilience.

We’re also committed to advocating for support from other levels of government to ensure we have the necessary funding for critical changes.

Mayoral and council candidate for Bellingen Dominic King.

Why should locals vote for you?

As mayor, I completed capital works like the Urunga Lido, the Bellingen Memorial Hall upgrade, and the Watson Street affordable housing project.

I also strongly advocated for our community during crises, such as the 2019 bushfires, floods and the pandemic and ensured we had the funding to help with recovery.

While I was mayor, Bellingen Council also won the A.G Bluett Award for the most progressive regional council for managing the balance between protecting our unique environment and delivering for the community.

I have a proven record of advocating for our shire in state government and have been elected as one of the seven regional directors on The Board of Local Government NSW for three terms.

Do you support high density housing in your area?

I support the increase of urban living options that fit with the character of our towns and villages.

I don’t want to see high rise development, but some more units, tiny houses and some cooperative housing options could help ease the housing crisis.

We need to look at a broad range of solutions to a very complex problem.

What’s your thoughts on housing affordability? How would you help address this issue if elected?

Housing affordability is one of the biggest issues in the shire, and we have to think outside the box and not commit to development for developments sake.

We need to ensure developers include affordable housing provisions in any new developments and look for more shared housing options.

We also need a strong local voice when talking to the state government about returning planning powers to local government so we can develop and deliver local solutions. During my term as mayor, we were viewed around the country as one of the most proactive councils trying to address the housing crisis and I want to get back to leading the discussions on this issue in this next term.

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