Shellharbour deputy mayor Kellie Marsh dominates by-election poll

Deputy mayor Kellie Marsh returns to Shellharbour Council with the independent suggesting her emphatic win is a sign of things to come in the Labor stronghold.

Shellharbour Council veteran Kellie Marsh is on course to hold onto her spot in the chamber after an emphatic showing in Saturday’s Ward A by-election.

With well over half of the ballots counted, the deputy mayor’s Kellie Marsh Independents have received more than 60 per cent of the vote.

Former mayor Marianne Saliba’s bid to return to local government ended up being a damp squib with the long-time Labor woman ousted from the party only days ahead of the election recording less than 15 per cent of the vote.

The second spot will go down to Labor incumbent Maree Edwards or Shane Bitschkat, the no.2 on Cr Marsh’s ticket, with preferences and postal votes set to prove decisive.

Cr Marsh said while the vote won’t be officially finalised until August 16, she’s already switched back to councillor mode.

Kellie Marsh described the endorsement of the community as “overwhelming”. Picture: Dylan Arvela

“It‘s absolutely overwhelming to receive the support of this fantastic community in Ward A,” she said.

“I was concerned many wouldn’t come and vote after the iVote debacle, but they came out in numbers and they were quite heartened to see Shane and I standing again.

“The result won’t officially be declared until the 16th of August, but I’ve already been in contact with members of the community for meetings this week so I am planning to hit the ground running.”

Cr Marsh believes the result is a warning sign for the ALP in red heartland with the ex Liberal of the opinion an independent option could unseat Labor members in the area in state and federal elections in the “near future”.

“Shane and I are out of brand,” she said.

“I’m an independent, I’m my own brand. Kellie Marsh Independents is us, we’re not a party, we’re about grassroots people who want to have a go at local government.

“Absolutely [it’s a warning for Labor]. My prediction is we will have an independent state member for Shellharbour and an independent federal member in the near future.”

How much the by-election in Ward A will cost is yet to be determined, however, the NSW Electoral Commission pointed NewsLocal in the direction of previous elections with this iVote-induced do-over likely to cost well in excess of $100,000.

Shellharbour deputy mayor Kellie Marsh alongside mayor Chris Homer. Picture: Dylan Arvela

The Supreme Court ruled the NSWEC would cover the costs of the second election, however, Cr Marsh felt it was a “massive waste” of time and money.

“It’s been a massive waste of people’s time,” Cr Marsh said.

“The amount of time and energy that candidates put into the elections can’t be comprehended. We’ve got normal jobs that we’ve got to take time away from and we’ve got to take time away from family as well as council business.

“That $100,000 could have been spent on so many other things in the community other than running another election.

“It puts extra pressure on council and council staff. We’ve just appointed a new General Manager - that should have been our main focus, training them and getting them up to speed but we’ve had to contend with this through no fault of the council or the community.”