2024 council elections: Lead candidates for City of Sydney Council profiled
As Clover Moore looks to extend her 20-year term, potential successors are lining up to take her place. Meet the long-serving Sydney lord mayor and those gunning for her job.
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With less than a month before the 2024 local government elections on September 14, residents are gearing up to head to polling booths across the state.
There are 10 spots up for grabs on the City of Sydney Council and a number of candidates, new and returning, are throwing their hats into the ring.
We have reached out to each candidate to understand who they are, what they stand for and why they are running for election.
CLOVER MOORE INDEPENDENT TEAM
Lord Mayor Clover Moore
About myself
Clover Moore is the longest serving lord mayor of Sydney.
She is the first popularly elected woman to lead the City of Sydney and previously served in the NSW Parliament and on the City and South Sydney councils.
What’s the biggest issue facing City of Sydney?
We are in a dual housing affordability and cost-of-living crisis. We are committed to providing new housing in a bid to tackle the housing crisis and have been delivering one-third of the entire housing target set by the NSW Government for the nine councils across eastern Sydney.
We also have delivered 3263 rent-controlled affordable housing units, more than any other council in the country. We stand ready to deliver another 2000 affordable housing units, incentivise build-to-rent and co-living projects and deliver new government housing targets in a planned and responsible way. This term, we have also introduced a new $4.5m grant program to help support food relief projects, made community venues free to local groups, waived rates for pensioners and have some of the lowest rates in NSW.
Do you support high density housing in city of Sydney?
Denser cities can be the healthiest, greenest, and most stimulating places for people to live with the least environmental impact. The City of Sydney has understood this for two decades, and has been at the forefront of providing the highest residential densities in Australia. These communities are successful because development has been managed carefully, alongside commensurate infrastructure and with increased height and density allocated to appropriate sites. We will continue to invest in high quality public domain, open space and community facilities to ensure our more densely populated neighbourhoods are wonderful places to live, work and visit.
Why should locals vote for you?
Under my leadership, Sydney has developed a global reputation for taking ambitious action on climate change, delivering award-winning facilities and Affordable Housing, protecting, and creating open space, promoting design excellence, delivering transport options, and championing the needs of diverse communities. I am excited and energised to continue this work.
Deputy Lord Mayor Robert Kok
About myself
I was first elected to council in 2008 and served as deputy lord mayor from 2011-2012 and was re-elected to council in 2012 and 2016.
I’ve previously deputy chaired the Corporate Finance and Tenders Committee, the Major Development Committee and a member of the Central Sydney Planning Committee.
Adam Worling
About myself
I am a proud member and advocate for the LGBTIQA+ community, local business owner and avid lap swimmer. My public relations consultancy, AWPR, has represented some of Australia’s biggest fashion brands including David Jones, Elle Macpherson and Carla Zampatti. Today my clients include Georg Jensen and Waverley Mills.
What is the biggest issue in the City of Sydney?
Too much ends up in our red bins that could be recycled or recovered. We are only eight years away from filling up our landfills in NSW; then what happens? I am a die-hard waste warrior and want to change attitudes and behaviours towards what we throw away (food, old furniture, fast fashion, single-use plastic). This needs immediate attention or there will be huge environmental consequences.
Do you support high density housing in the City of Sydney?
Absolutely. 80 per cent of our residents live in apartments and well-designed, medium- and high-density housing is crucial. Green Square is a world-leading example of balancing density, design and amenity.
Why should people vote for you?
I have lived in Sydney for 35 years and am still in awe of all that our city has to offer. I am a problem solver who enjoys meeting with residents to listen to what they love about their neighbourhoods and what we could do even better.
William Chan
About myself
I’m a registered architect, advocate for design excellence, and a sustainability and housing rights leader.
I’ve contributed to Sydney’s most significant public space, social housing, rapid transit, infrastructure and community developments over the past decade and my work has won numerous industry awards including from the Australian Institute of Architects and Good Design Australia.
What is the biggest issue in the City of Sydney?
I’m a co-living renter so I understand first-hand the housing affordability challenges impacting our communities right now. That’s why as an independent on council, I’ve championed progressive urban planning solutions that have delivered more affordable housing than any other local government in Australia.
Team Clover’s track record of 5000 affordable homes built or in the pipeline supports those who need it the most, including women over 55, families fleeing domestic violence, youth and Indigenous people.
Do you support high density housing in the City of Sydney?
As an architect and urban planner, I’m well-placed to ensure “density done well”. I have contributed to Sydney’s most significant public spaces, social housing, community developments and transit infrastructure – including the city’s new Sydney Metro – over the past decade. It’s crucial that high-density projects are designed with a focus on quality of life, adequate green spaces, community facilities and design excellence.
Why should people vote for you?
A vote for me is a vote for the next generation of Sydneysiders. As a first-generation migrant and volunteer surf lifesaver, I’m committed to involving younger and more diverse people in city government.
My civic responsibilities have included chairing environment, planning, heritage, transport, cycling, cultural and creativity. I co-founded Climate Action Week Sydney to bring our communities together towards a more sustainable and resilient city.
Emelda Davis
About myself
Emelda is the first Black woman elected to serve on the City of Sydney Council in its 180-year history and is a representative on the Clover Moore Independent Team.
A passionate volunteer, community builder and long-term resident of Pyrmont for more than two decades, Emelda has worked effectively across the corporate and grassroots sectors, including as an adviser to state and federal government agencies on culturally specific Indigenous knowledge.
Other candidates
Jessica Miller
Lachlan Kennedy
Alison Burn
Christine Byrne
Claudia Bowman
YVONNE WELDON INDEPENDENTS
Yvonne Weldon
About myself
I’m an independent councillor and the first Aboriginal councillor in the City of Sydney’s 180-year history.
Born and raised in inner Sydney but maintains strong ties to her Wiradjuri homelands of Cowra and the Riverina areas of NSW
I’ve campaigned for greater representation of First Nations people in the public domain and for the development of more affordable and social housing to tackle the ongoing housing crisis.
What is the biggest issue in the City of Sydney?
The biggest issue is the housing and affordability crisis.
Do you support high density housing?
We’re at the coal face of the housing crisis. As rents have soared, housing in the inner city has become unaffordable and too many in our community are being forced out.
The City has a track-record of meeting our state housing targets. We plan for growth and we do it in a way that balances things like heritage preservation, neighbourhood amenity, green space and community infrastructure.
But as an independent councillor, I’ve consistently advocated for council to play a more ambitious role. As mayor, I’ll double the City’s Affordable Housing Fund to provide more homes for young people, essential workers, creatives and entrepreneurs.
I’ll also require and incentivise major developments to include affordable rental housing built on site and And I’ll fight tooth and nail to retain existing affordable housing.
I’d like to see more people living in the city centre. If planned and managed well, this can be achieve while also protecting valued commercial space and it will breathe new life into our downtown streets. I’ll champion mixed development, with a combination of commercial space, residential, and ground floor retail and hospitality.
Why should locals vote for you?
The lord mayor has been in power for 20 years. She has stopped listening. And she distances herself from challenges.
On waste management and the asbestos crisis, she was completely missing in action. I had to invoke a little-used power to call an emergency meeting to even discuss the matter.
She’s become inaccessible to the local community. And under her leadership, the council spends millions on PR and legacy building.
I’m running to be Sydney’s first Aboriginal mayor. A mayor who serves rather than presides.
I’m of this community and will lead with community. Local government is best when it’s community-led, and truly independent.
I’m leading a great team of independent candidates.
We’re ready. The time is right.
Other candidates
Rodney Morrison
Daniel McDonald
Alison Davey
Murray Gatt
LIBERAL PARTY
Lyndon Gannon – lead Liberal candidate
Do you support high density housing?
I am fully supportive of more density. We absolutely need more housing. I’m a YIMBY. Politicians in inner city electorates who aren’t are only doing so for political reasons.
What is the biggest issue in the City of Sydney?
Housing affordability is the biggest issue, followed by vibrancy. I’ve got suburbs full of young people in share houses who can’t afford to move out and have families. Under Clover we went from a world class vibrant city, to one that is in bed by 9pm. This will change under me.
Why should people vote for me?
I am the only alternate to Clover who has the experience, energy and track record that can be trusted to lead the city.
Other candidates
Panayiota Pandeleos
Ke Xu
Bearte McDonald
James Dore
THE GREENS
Sylvie Ellsmore – Lead Greens candidate
About myself
I am a Greens councillor on the City of Sydney Council, former deputy mayor between 2022 and 2023 and chair of council’s Housing for All Working Group. I previously represented Newtown on Marrickville Council between 2012 and 2016.
My previous roles include as a native title lawyer, senior policy manager for the NSW Government and community organiser.
I live in Darlington, where I am a founding member of my local residents’ action group and a volunteer karate teacher.
What is the biggest issue in the City of Sydney?
Over the last 20 years, Sydney has become the second most expensive city for housing in the world.
Decades of council schemes have resulted in only one per cent of housing stock delivered as affordable housing from developer levies.
Do you support high density housing in the City of Sydney?
Yes, We need to increase supply through development, with much stronger rules for affordability (30 per cent minimum on new development).
We also need to protect the supply we have now – including stopping housing from becoming vacant Airbnbs, and protecting older apartments being converted into larger luxury homes that fewer people can live in.
Why should people vote for you?
The Greens will drive action needed, on the scale needed, to genuinely address the housing crisis. City of Sydney needs to do much more with its planning powers and its wealth, including co-investing, buying and building council housing again.
Other candidates
Matthew Thompson – party candidate
Jay Gillieatt – party candidate
Caroline Alcorso – party candidate
Chetan Sahai – party candidate
LABOR PARTY
Zann Maxwell – Lead Labor candidate
About myself
I’m 35, I’m a renter, and I love Sydney.
Sydney is Australia’s greatest city and it belongs to all of us. We need to take decisive action to ensure that the people who make this city great aren’t priced out of it. I want voters to know that I’ll fight for those at risk of being locked out of Sydney by a crisis of affordability – because I’m in the same boat myself.
I understand the power of government to transform lives, because I’ve lived it. I was raised by a single mum and we lived in public housing. Life wasn’t always easy, but that experience taught me the importance of resilience, it made me understand the power of education and it instilled an instinct for fairness in me.
Because of government help, I was able to go to uni and can now get well-paid work.
What’s the biggest issue in the City of Sydney
When I talk with Sydneysiders, the same issues come up again and again. Yes, they want a city that’s more affordable, but they also want a council they can rely on to deliver the basics, a re-energised nightlife and a vibrant cultural scene.
Do you support high-density housing?
As lord mayor, I will go further with the tools that council has to deliver affordable housing, which means higher developer levies, stronger planning controls, and boosting the Affordable and Diverse Housing Fund.
I’ll also do something new by leveraging the three-quarters of a billion dollars that the current lord mayor is hoarding to buy existing properties from the private market and turn them into affordable rentals for key workers, just as London and Paris have done – that way we can provide more housing faster than if we just rely on developers to meet affordability targets.
Why should locals vote for you?
The issues that matter most to Sydney’s future have moved on from Clover Moore’s heyday. Sydney now needs a stronger commitment to fairness and getting the basics right. That’s how we’ll build a Sydney that doesn’t just look great, but actually is great. And that’s what I’ll do as lord mayor.
Other candidates
Mitchell Wilson
Tamira Stevensen
Holly Rebeiro
Michelle Perry
Luc Harvey
SOCIALIST ALLIANCE
Rachel Evans – lead socialist alliance candidate
About myself
I’m one of the founders of the grassroots marriage equality campaign, is a housing co-operative tenant and journalist with Green Left. I am a disability support worker, and involved in the Palestine solidarity movement and have helped establish the City of Sydney for Palestine group.
What is the biggest issue in the City of Sydney?
Housing justice. Sydney is the second most expensive place to live in the world. We have 300-400 people homeless every night. Rents have gone up $193 per week in the last two years. We are in the worst housing crisis in living memory. The Clover Moore team has to take some responsibility. They have hoarded $763m and aren’t spending it on what would solve the housing crisis – and that’s council and co-operative housing with rents at 25 per cent of your income. They established a housing co-operative five months ago, but are yet to fill it. Their developer levy is one to three per cent which is paltry compared to European cities who have 30 per cent. The housing crisis is caused by a lack of government funding to public housing and co-operative funding and tax concessions to property investors. So we have a massive 3500 dwellings empty every night across Sydney – and 270 of them are public homes. What a travesty in a housing crisis. Clover Moore has shown she is incapable of solving the housing crisis.
Any density planning has to have heritage and liveability in mind. Studies show high rise living is not optimal for mental health. We need to plan for community need not corporate greed, we need planning for people, not profit. We also need building a to be built well – not rapidly and with minimal standards which lead to cracks and defaults.
I will be a voice for the people and the environment. Resident groups are crying out for more democracy – residents can’t even talk in council meetings. Asbestos in gardens were a result of Clover Moore outsourcing garden management and the rats in the streets are a result of waste management being privatised. We need them back in house and to get this we need more resident involvement in meetings. We need a change in leadership. I will empower the community so we can win this change.
Other candidates
David Chutter
Zoubir Hadad
Coral Wynter
Suelin Mccauley
James Mcilroy
WE LOVE SYDNEY INDEPENDENTS
Sam Danieli
About Myself
I am a chartered accountant and principal of my own firm in the CBD. I am a former mayor of Warringah Council and will bring extensive political and business experience to the council.
What is the biggest issue in the City of Sydney?
We shouldn’t have a situation where any mayor is serving for 20 years because then we get into a situation like we have now where the incumbent thinks her way is the only way. This directly impacts ratepayers, residents and businesses in many areas such as housing and town planning, city vibrancy, affordability and cleanliness. That’s why I have called for a two-term limit on the mayor.
The average tenure of an Australian CEO is 4.4 years or 8.6 years globally, but the City of Sydney Council has had the same mayor for 20 years and the same CEO for 18 years. I will bring in fresh ideas about how council is structured, for example, I will restructure town planning to have a dedicated affordable housing department or introduce an office of nightlife similar to New York City or London.
Do you support high density housing in the City of Sydney?
Yes, but we need a restructure of council’s town planning department to have a dedicated section for affordable housing, much like a special ministry in state or federal government for important issues like this.
Also need better planning to have amenities, we don’t even have a decent supermarket in the City of Sydney, or a children’s playground, so where will the children play?
Why should people vote for you?
I have 40-plus years in business experience and eight years in one of the largest council’s in NSW, including two as mayor. I don’t need an initiation or orientation, I know how the system works. I am ready to hit the ground running and make Sydney a city that is safe, clean and very welcoming to come to work, live and play at any time of the day.
Other candidates
Geoffrey Alder
Mirjana Andric
Scott Davis
Catherine Yang
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