Cr David Walton drops out of race to be Northern Beaches Council mayor
Cr David Walton announced he is withdrawing from the race to become the new Northern Beaches Council mayor — leaving rivals Michael Regan and Rory Amon to battle it out for the top job.
Manly
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The race to be the next mayor of Northern Beaches Council is down to just two contenders.
On Wednesday evening Liberal Cr David Walton announced he was pulling out the race, citing that he did not have the support of his fellow councillors.
The two left in the race are current mayor Michael Regan and Liberal Cr Rory Amon.
Their fellow councillors will vote on who will take on the role at Tuesday’s council meeting.
In confirming that he is running, Cr Amon told supporters he faced an uphill task to win on Tuesday evening.
“But whatever the outcome, we are one year away from the next council elections,” he said. “This is the start of our campaign.
“If the Liberal team is elected as a majority in 2020, we will focus on the business of local government and deliver the benefits promised by a single council.”
He pledged that a Liberal controlled council would freeze rates, cut waste and red tape and fight over development.
He also called for supporters to “kick start” his campaign by donating money to the party.
Michael Regan, who has been the only mayor since the council was formed, is expected to have the numbers to continue in the role.
“To serve the people of the northern beaches is a privilege that I don’t take for granted,” he said. “I would be honoured to lead the council and to continue serving our community.
“I am proud of what I, and my fellow councillors have achieved but there is still much that the community expects us to do.
“I am committed and feel it’s my duty to continue to stand up for what our community cares about.”
Cr Walton said he felt his years as a senior police officer and his leadership style had counted against him.
“My style of governance and leadership formed from my days at the Harvard Business School is too commercial for many councillors’ liking,” he said. “My view that council needs to redesign our service delivery to a customer centric model is not fully supported.”
Cr Amon is the youngest member in the council chamber but perhaps the most outspoken.
He is a frequent critic of Michael Regan and the pair have been known to clash in the chamber.
Prior to being mayor of Northern Beaches Council, Mr Regan was mayor of the former Warringah Council.