2024 council elections: List of candidates for Inner West Council profiled
Writers, lawyers, renters, homeowners and parents are just some of the candidates vying for Inner West Council. Take a look at who’s running in your ward.
Inner West
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The 2024 local council elections are drawing closer, with less than one month before residents head to the polling booths across the state.
In the Inner West, there are 15 spots up for grabs and a number of candidates, new and returning are throwing their hats into the ring.
We have reached out to each of the candidates running for Inner West Council to find out their priorities, why they are running and what they think of high density housing.
Inner West is separated into five wards – Ashfield, Balmain, Leichhardt, Marrickville and Stanmore.
DjarraWunang Ward – Ashfield
Jessica Lea D’ARIENZO – Lead Labor candidate.
About Myself
I’m an out and proud queer Councillor and former Deputy Mayor, elected in 2021 to represent the Ashfield-Djarrawunang Ward.
I’m passionate about social justice, fairness, and equality with 14 year’s experience in the trade union movement, campaigning to improve workers’ pay and conditions.
I’ve championed LGBTQIA+ rights in our community, building community inclusion and leading the Pride Inner West initiative.
I am deeply committed to providing support and care for women facing domestic violence and homelessness and continue to volunteer as the Deputy Chair of the board for Biyani House Women’s Shelter and we opened our Shelter in 2022, are now expanding to accommodate women transitioning into independent living.
What is the biggest issue facing the Inner West?
The biggest issue facing residents in Ashfield, Summer Hill, Dulwich Hill and Croydon is the rising cost of living.
They have also raised challenges with illegal rubbish dumping, the timeliness of development applications and making sure our local parks and amenities are upgraded to have a sense of pride for where we live.
Do you support high density housing in the Inner West?
Housing and planning is front of mind for many people and I support sensible and holistic planning delivered through our local planning controls. I support delivering additional housing around transport nodes and main streets and will ensure the local environmental plan pushes for affordable, well-designed, well-located and sustainable housing.
Jo-Anne Elizabeth Carlisle – Labor Party candidate
Elayn James – Labor Party candidate
Izabella Angelyn Antoniou – Lead Greens candidate.
About Myself
I’m a renter, a writer and community worker who is passionate about seeing our community thrive.
For me that means having elected representatives build systems that benefit us all. I’ve been renting in the Inner West my entire adult life. My family connections go back to the 1960s when my Yiayia bought her house in Dulwich Hill as a single mum and migrant.
I have a duty and passion to deliver the Inner West more on housing, childcare, spaces designed to encourage active transport and the arts, Council has untapped potential to deliver more on the things we need.
What is the biggest issue in the Inner West?
Housing affordability is the biggest issue here, as it is across Sydney, and we want to see Council build and run public and affordable housing that is also sustainable and accessible.
n this term of council, as the result of a motion brought by the Greens on Inner West Council, 10 sites so far have been identified as opportunities for developing affordable housing on Council land, with a number now short-listed – It is up to us to ensure that truly affordable and public homes are built on that space.
climate are also big issues for Inner West residents.
Do you support high density housing in the Inner West?
We want to see more housing in the Inner West, that is actually accessible and affordable – so to ensure that, the Greens will not support policies that prioritise developer profits over the community.
The role for local council in the housing crisis is to work with our community to build and run 100 per cent public and affordable housing.
Nabilah Islam Chowdhury – Greens party candidate
Elisabeth Sue Allen – Greens party candidate
Wenjie ZHANG – Lead Liberal candidate
Funing GUO – Liberal Party candidate
Lauren SHEN – Liberal Party candidate
Baludarri Ward – Balmain
Darcy Byrne – lead Labor candidate and Mayor.
About myself
I’ve worked for 10 years as a youth worker with disadvantaged young people born and bred in the inner west, and I’m passionate about serving local people, and having built the Inner West Council up into a well run organisation that’s getting a lot done, I’m really determined that we keep that progress going.
What is the biggest issue in the Inner West?
I think for this election, the issue is that the Inner West Council is operating pretty well and it’s heading in the right direction.
We’re in a strong financial position through good management but a lot of the candidates who are running for election this time are people who’ve never served a single day in public office.
So not only do they not know how to run the council, they don’t even know how to be a councillor and some of those candidates, it seems as though their biggest priority of foreign policy issues, and if the council is run by run by highly inexperienced people who’ve only just been elected, and then they get distracted by radical political causes and foreign policy it’s a recipe for services going down and rates going up.
Do you support high density housing in the Inner West?
We’ve all got to take responsibility for addressing the housing supply crisis.
we fended the government off on their rezoning proposals, but we did that by accepting that we need to meet our targets, and I think we’re the only Council in Sydney that has committed to completing a new local environment plan, new planning controls for the whole of the inner West by the end of this year, and that will allow us to meet our five year housing target.
Kerrie Fergusson – Labor Party candidate
Brian Frankham – Labor Party candidate
John Stamolis – Lead independent party candidate.
About Myself
I’ve been an independent Councillor for four terms since 2008 on both Leichhardt Council and Inner West Council.
I’ve great experience as a community leader and Councillor going back to 1998. Served four terms on Council, on both Leichhardt and Inner West. provided a local community voice, not a party political voice.
What is the biggest issue in the Inner West?
John says that party politics at the local level is not needed nor productive. Local government was never established for party politics and most Councils in Australia don’t have this or allow this.
It’s time for the Inner West to look at this more deeply now that the merger is entrenching party political control. Only 1 per cent or 2 per cent of our community are members of political parties yet they take virtually every seat on Council, that’s not representative at all.
Do you support high density housing in the Inner West?
High density is already the case in the Inner West. Of all 130 Councils in NSW, the Inner West has the 4th highest dwelling density. If fact, in my ward – Balmain – we have had high density living for more than 150 years. Very few other places can say that, it’s always interesting when I hear people from Councils with less than a quarter of our density lecture the Inner West about increasing densities.
Tracey Anne Brooks – Independent party candidate
Kathleen Joan Hacking – Independent party candidate
Ismet Tastan – Lead Greens Candidate
About Myself
I have lived in this community for 20 years with my wife where we have brought up our two sons. I am a carpenter with a small local business. I have been involved in a range of community organisations including 7 years as a volunteer coach at Balmain District Football Club.
What is the biggest issue within the Inner West?
Housing affordability is the biggest issue here, as it is across Sydney, and we want to see Council build and run public and affordable housing that is also sustainable and accessible.
Cost of living more generally, and climate are also big issues for Inner West residents, with calls for Council to commit to the 40% target for tree canopy, expand and rewild our open spaces, and to fund and implement the Inner West Active Transport Strategy, all policies of the Inner West Greens.
Do you support high density housing in the Inner West?
We want to see more housing in the Inner West, that is actually accessible and affordable – so to ensure that, the Greens will not support policies that prioritise developer profits over the community.
The current failing approach of leaving it to market forces has not delivered affordable homes. The role for local council in the housing crisis is to work with our community to build and run 100% public and affordable housing.
Shelley Booth – Greens party candidate
Michael Davis – Greens party candidate
Christian Bracci – Lead Liberal Party candidate
Joanne Navarra – Liberal Party candidate
Elizabeth Anne Levy – Liberal Party candidate
Gulgadya Ward – Leichhardt
Philippa Scott – Lead Labor candidate.
About myself
I’m Philippa Scott, a Labor Councillor for Leichhardt Ward and former Deputy Mayor of the Inner West Council. I’ve been elected since 2021 and am running for re-election in 2024. I care passionately about making the inner west a liveable, walkable, affordable and fun urban community.
Over this term of Council I’ve been proud to reinvigorate Council’s customer service and introduce mobile customer service points at nights and weekends at local facilities, begin the revitalisation of our main streets, with an improved street cleaning, verge mowing and planting scheme and much more.
What is the biggest issue within the Inner West?
The biggest issue for residents of the inner west is cost of living, and we are relentlessly focused on helping with that. We are committed to no rate increases over indexation; introducing bill smoothing, so that residents can pay their rates in small, even instalments and avoid bill shock.
Improving the DA process to avoid waste and cost when residents want to renovate, allowing residents to up-size their bins for free if they need support while we introduce food recycling and make it easier to build more affordable and public housing in the inner west.
Do you support high density housing in the Inner West?
The housing supply crisis is the biggest contributor to cost of living pressures and like the rest of the Labor caucus, I support density reforms in our community to address this. We are working effectively with the state government to deliver places to build well-located, more affordable homes through our Local Environment Plan.
Timothy Stephens – Labor Party candidate.
About Tim
Dr Tim Stephens is a lifelong resident of Haberfield where he lives with his wife and two children.
He is Professor of International Law at the University of Sydney Law School where he teaches and researches in public international law, with his published work focusing on the international law of the sea, international environmental law and international dispute settlement.
Emma Taksa Grimshaw – Labor Party candidate.
Vittoria Raciti – Lead Liberal candidate
About Vittoria
Vittoria was previously an Ashfield council and as such was a member of the Planning and Environment Committee, works and services committee, community activity committee, Aboriginal consultative committee, Ashfield access committee and Ashfield Youth Committee.
Maurizio Coco – Liberal Party candidate
Domenico Stefanelli – Liberal Party candidate
Andrew William Blake – Lead Greens candidate
About Myself
I’m a long term Inner West resident and I work in local government at the City of Sydney. I love the diversity of our community, our creative spaces and natural environment. We are a community that cares for each other.
What is the biggest issue within the Inner West?
Housing affordability is the biggest issue here, as it is across Sydney, and we want to see Council build and run public and affordable housing that is also sustainable and accessible.
Cost of living more generally, and climate are also big issues for Inner West residents, with calls for Council to commit to the 40% target for tree canopy, expand and rewild our open spaces, and to fund and implement the Inner West Active Transport Strategy, all policies of the Inner West Greens.
Do you support high density housing in the Inner West?
We want to see more housing in the Inner West, that is actually accessible and affordable – so to ensure that, the Greens will not support policies that prioritise developer profits over the community.
The current failing approach of leaving it to market forces has not delivered affordable homes. The role for local council in the housing crisis is to work with our community to build and run 100% public and affordable housing.
Luciana Carusi – Greens part candidate
Brooke Kelly Richards – Greens part candidate
Midjuburi Ward – Marrickville
Mat Howard – Lead Labor Party candidate
About Myself
I have been a Councillor on Inner West Council since 2021. My focus in this term of council has been supporting residents as we’ve introduced food recycling, making hire of our town halls free and accessible for not-for-profit artists, the establishment of the Inner West Pride Centre at Newtown Town Hall and working to increase the number of people with disability working at council.
What is the biggest issue within the Inner West?
The biggest issue facing residents in Marrickville, St Peters, Sydenham and Tempe is the rising cost of living. As I have been out speaking with residents, they’ve also raised challenges with the development application process and making sure the council is focused on upgrading local parks, fixing potholes and street-cleaning. They’re also concerned about climate change, and I’m proud Inner West is fully divested from fossil fuels.
Do you support high density housing in the Inner West?
Our communities need to grow and I support additional housing around our train stations and main streets. I am really proud that we have worked with the State Government to return planning for density through our local environment plan and will be pushing for new housing to be affordable, well-located, sustainable, well-designed and well-constructed. I’m advocating for more public housing in our community.
Leah Horsley – Labor Party candidate
Christine Su-Manlutac – Labor Party candidate
Olivia Maree Barlow – Lead Greens party candidate.
About myself
I’m running for Council because I believe we need fresh voices and perspectives in politics. As a young renter I’ve spent so much of my life working jobs just trying to make ends meet. I might’ve pumped your petrol at the Marrickville servo or bagged your groceries at the Newtown IGA! It’s time the Inner West was shaped by people like me and you, not property developers.
I believe real political change starts local and I’m ready to do the work to make Marrickville-Midjuburi a fairer place to live.
What is the biggest issue within the Inner West?
Housing affordability is the biggest issue here, as it is across Sydney, and we want to see Council build and run public and affordable housing that is also sustainable and accessible.
Cost of living more generally, and climate are also big issues for Inner West residents, with calls for Council to commit to the 40 per cent target for tree canopy, expand and rewild our open spaces, and to fund and implement the Inner West Active Transport Strategy, all policies of the Inner West Greens.
Do you support high density housing in the Inner West?
We want to see more housing in the Inner West, that is actually accessible and affordable – so to ensure that, the Greens will not support policies that prioritise developer profits over the community.
The current failing approach of leaving it to market forces has not delivered affordable homes. The role for local council in the housing crisis is to work with our community to build and run 100 per cent public and affordable housing.
Justine Catherine Langford – Greens party candidate
Peter John olive – Green Party candidate
Vittorio Robert Macri – Independent Lead candidate
Arthur Alepidis – Independent Party candidate
Catherine Nguyen – Independent Party candidate
Damun Ward – Stanmore
Chloe Smith – Deputy Mayor and lead Labor Party candidate
About myself
I’ve served as a Councillor on Inner West Council since 2021. I’m a lifelong Inner westie, the youngest elected Councillor, and one of Council’s only renters. My priorities over this term have been on combating climate change, supporting live music and vibrancy, and tackling the housing crisis.
I’m passionate about engaging young people in politics and on the issues that matter to us, including climate justice, housing affordability, support for live music and the night-time economy, and cost of living. In my spare time I enjoy barracking for the Newtown Jets at Henson Park and exploring the Inner West’s excellent cafes, bars, and restaurants.
What is the biggest issue within the Inner West?
The biggest issue facing residents across Stanmore-Damun Ward is the cost of living and the housing crisis. Residents know we have to play our part in supporting more growth and ensuring young people and low-income households can access the great services and community that we have in the Inner West. We have to work together to ensure this growth is well-planned and well-located, keeping with local character, and has supporting infrastructure.
Do you support high density housing in the Inner West?
We are facing an unprecedented housing crisis, and in many ways the Inner West is at its epicentre. As the youngest serving Councillor and one of only two renters on Council, I’m committed to being part of the solution.
I recognise that our communities need to grow. I support additional housing density that is well-located around train stations and town centres with the local infrastructure and green space to support that growth. I’m proud that Inner West Labor has taken a constructive approach, working with the State Government to advocate for planning to be kept in local hands through our local environment plan.
Vicki Ann Clay – Labor Party candidate
Daniel Delisle – Labor Party candidate
Jane Atkins – Lead Greens party candidate
About yourself
I was a federal public servant for 33 years in the Transport and Attorney-General’s portfolios, with the last 6 as the Deputy CEO at Austrac, the federal anti-money laundering agency.
I have lived in Damun/Stanmore Ward since 2000, and both my now adult children attended local public schools. I am a community activist particularly on the environment, refugees and queer issues, most notably as part of Riff Raff Radical Marching Band, a small group of community activists who bring music to rallies and street festivals.
What is the biggest issue within the Inner West?
Housing affordability is the biggest issue here, as it is across Sydney, and we want to see Council build and run public and affordable housing that is also sustainable and accessible.
Do you support high density housing in the Inner West?
We want to see more housing in the Inner West, that is actually accessible and affordable – so to ensure that, the Greens will not support policies that prioritise developer profits over the community. The current failing approach of leaving it to market forces has not delivered affordable homes.
Flynn Franklin-Baker – Greens party candidate
Robert Sheild – Greens party candidate
Rosana Tyler – Lead Liberal Party candidate
Alicia Tyler – Liberal Party candidate
Edward Tyler – Liberal Party candidate
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