New faces set to join Labor dominated Blacktown City Council after local government election
A NUMBER of new faces are set to join the Blacktown City Council following the local government election on Saturday.
Blacktown
Don't miss out on the headlines from Blacktown. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A NUMBER of new faces are set to join the Blacktown City Council following the local government election on Saturday.
Prepoll and postal votes are still being counted, but result so far show the next term of council will be dominated by Labor councillors.
The chamber will likely be made up of 10 Labor councillors and five liberal councillors.
The first meeting of the term will be held on September 28 when the mayor will be elected.
Ward 1: Liberal councillor Jess Diaz and Labor newcomer Chris Quilkey will be joined by Liberal councillor Walt Smith or Labor’s Moninder Singh. It was a tight contest with Labor polling 43% of the vote, just ahead of the Liberal’s 40%.
Ward 2: Labor newcomer Julie Griffiths has a strong chance of being elected alongside Labor veteran councillor Leo Kelly. Liberal candidate Jaymes Diaz polled 27% of the vote, enough to join his father on the council.
Ward 3: Susai Benjamin will return as a Labor councillor. Liberal candidate Frederick Brillo will replace the outgoing Karlo Siljeg. Independent Russ Dickens will most likely be ousted by Labor newcomer Kathie Collins.
Ward 4: Labor posted its strongest result in this ward where it won 63% of the vote. Mayor Stephen Bali will almost certainly be joined by Labor candidate Carol Israel and Liberal candidate Linda Santos.
Ward 5: Tony Bleasdale has returned for another term as a Labor councillor. He will likely be joined by running mate Brad Bunting. Liberal candidate Peter Camilleri won 19.5 per cent.
Earlier, the Blacktown Advocate reported that the Liberal’s most contentious candidate Jaymes Diaz had been elected to the council in ward 2.
High-ranking bikie hit with 46 illegal hunting charges
A high-ranking Bandido in Sydney’s west has been hit with several firearm and drug supply charges after a raid of his home also uncovered pig dog collars with electronic shock probes.
Meet the talented young artists from ARTEXPRESS 2025
The annual art exhibition which shows some of the most outstanding and exemplary artworks across NSW by HSC visual arts students has opened. Meet the students and see their amazing works.