Dubbo council elections: Former mayor Ben Shields defeated

After 22 years as a dominant force in Dubbo politics, former mayor Ben Shields has suffered a crushing defeat while another former leader has secured a thumping victory.

Former Dubbo mayor Ben Shields has failed, for the first time in two decades, to secure a spot on council.

Voters went to the polls on Saturday to elect a new Dubbo Regional Council and initial counting shows Mr Shields is on track to be defeated by another former mayor Mathew Dickerson and Labor candidate Vicki Etheridge in the battle for Central Ward.

Former Dubbo mayor Ben Shields casts his vote at the Wesley Centre in the city's CBD.

Mr Dickerson last served as mayor in 2016, with Mr Shields as his deputy, before Dubbo and Wellington councils were amalgamated.

A popular small business owner, community fundraiser and volunteer, Mr Dickerson has secured more than 54 per cent of first preference votes while Mrs Etheridge has 29 per cent of votes. Mr Shields trails with 16 per cent of the vote.

“Once you get to 30 per cent counted and that’s where we are at basically all of the wards, things won’t change dramatically,” Mr Dickerson said.

“I was always hopeful and I thought I would be able to get on to council, I did actually still think Ben was always a chance of beating me … what did surprise me was the drop in Ben’s vote.

“Thank you to the people of Central Ward for having confidence and faith in me to go forward and try and get some confidence back in council, in the staff and the community overall.”

Former Dubbo mayor Mathew Dickerson is returning to council.

During the campaign Mr Shields was the target of intense pressure from the last outgoing mayor Stephen Lawrence, who launched an unprecedented campaign attacking his record as mayor and airing a litany of allegations which Mr Shields largely denied.

In the Central Ward where two candidates will get elected, Mr Dickerson chose to direct preferences to Mrs Etheridge, who was previously a member of the Ben Shields Team before she abandoned the group when the allegations Mr Lawrence aired started to come to light in March 2020.

“I think it’s going to be difficult for Ben to recover now, with 30 per cent of the vote counted Vicki is polling twice the number of votes of Ben,” Mr Dickerson said.

“Pre-poll votes haven’t been counted yet from what I can see … Ben will probably do a lot better than Vicki as he had a good, strong presence, but I don’t see him getting dramatically in front.”

Ben Shields was first elected to council in 1999.

Mr Dickerson told The Dubbo News he spent election night at his daughter’s high school graduation dinner, juggling focusing on that milestone along with the Electoral Commission results flowing in online.

“There was this one random person, I have no idea who she was, but she came over and gave me the biggest hug and she said ‘thank you Mathew, I work at council, my life has been hell for the last four years, thank you for getting rid of Ben’ and off she walked,” Mr Dickerson said.

“There was a common sentiment there, not that I got rid of him, the voters of Dubbo did.

“The community has spoken and they didn’t really agree with the tactics of having the Ben Shields Team there and Ben in charge of that. We have to respect that and forge a new path forward.”

Greg Mohr has failed to secure another term on council.

Veteran councillor Greg Mohr was another member of the Ben Shields Team defeated in the South Ward.

Mr Dickerson, an avid cruncher of numbers, said in South Ward he predicted independent candidate Shibli Chowdhury would secure a spot on council along with Labor candidate Josh Black.

Mr Black, whose campaign focused on growing voter frustration about the state of council roads, has secured 35 per cent of the vote, while Mr Chowdhury is on 27 per cent.

Kevin Parker is unlikely to return to council.

Mr Mohr has 19 per cent while another former veteran councillor, Kevin Parker, who became embroiled in a racist email scandal during the last term of council, has 16 per cent of the vote.

“I don’t see that you’re going to have Greg Mohr or Kevin Parker bridge that gap, it’s too big,” Mr Dickerson said.

“Josh Black did very well … he worked hard and if you’re prepared to work hard, get out there, talk to people, knock on doors, letterbox, the community will give you the result.

“I don’t think they care that much if it’s the Labor Party or the Ben Shields Team, the community are saying if you are working hard and putting in the effort you’ll get the rewards.”

School teacher Josh Black attracted huge support in the South Ward.

Results in the three other wards are not as clear cut.

Mr Dickerson predicted high profile Dubbo Chamber of Commerce boss Matt Wright would secure victory in the North Ward, but he said it was too early to tell who the second successful candidate would be.

“Matt Wright will get there based on the preferences from Matt Smith and Greg Matthews,” Mr Dickerson said.

Mr Wright has 23 per cent of the vote, along with Labor candidate Pam Wells.

Matt Wright is tipped to become a councillor.

Ben Shields Team candidate Mick Catelotti has 17 per cent of the vote, while independent Grahame Miller has secured 16 per cent.

Whether Mrs Wells, Mr Catelotti or Mr Miller get elected will depend on how preferences flow.

In the East Ward Mr Dickerson said there was “no doubt” influential Aboriginal elder and artist Lewis Burns would secure victory.

Mr Burns has 29 per cent of the vote, while the Ben Shields Team led by Jeremy Ellis has 24 per cent.

Lewis Burns looks set to secure a spot on council.

Independent candidate Damien Mahon has 16 per cent of votes and Labor’s Tatum Moore is on 13 per cent.

Mr Dickerson predicted Mr Mahon could get over the line, but again it would depend on who the 46 per cent of voters who supported ungrouped candidates directed preferences to, with Mr Ellis and Ms Moore both still a chance of securing a spot on council.

In the Wellington ward former deputy mayor and veteran councillor Anne Jones is in a tight tussle with first-time independent candidate Richard Ivey.

“I can’t see both Anne and Richard getting up,” Mr Dickerson said.

“Whoever is in front in first preferences, out of Anne and Richard, will probably get elected.”

Richard Ivy is battling it out with Anne Jones to represent the Wellington Ward on council.

Currently Mr Ivey has 23 per cent of the vote, while Mrs Jones is on 21 per cent.

Labor’s Helen Swan has 24 per cent of the vote while the Ben Shields Team candidate Jess Gough has 22 per cent.

“I see that Helen will get up, she’s polled strong enough,” Mr Dickerson predicted.

“I don’t think the Ben Shields Team seems to get a lot of preferences.”

Labor’s Helen Swan polled strongly in the Wellington Ward.

As the most experienced candidate so far assured a spot on the new council, Mr Dickerson said he would happily serve as mayor if called upon to do so.

“It is too early to start those discussions,” he said.

“I think I can make a contribution and if that’s in the role of mayor, I’m happy to do it, if that’s in the role of councillor I’m happy to do it as well.

“If there’s someone else who can do the job well and if it’s the best thing for a cohesive council … I don’t have a problem with someone else being mayor, it’s not the be all and end all.”

After the previous council became engulfed in scandal, infighting and was forced to comply with a performance improvement order imposed by Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock, Mr Dickerson believes the new council’s first priority should be “rebuilding trust” with the community.

“It takes a very long amount of time to build up trust and it’s very quick to destroy trust,” he said.

“It used to be there, that’s obviously been eroded and destroyed over the last few years. Council can’t achieve anything if there isn’t the faith and trust in the group of councillors that are elected.

“The first thing the new council has to do is get to the point where the staff and the community can have faith and trust in council again.”