New MidCoast Council announced after September 14 Local Government election

More than half of the new councillors elected to one of the largest Local Government Areas in coastal NSW will be new to the role.

Michael Graham was the lead candidate for The Libertarian Party in the MidCoast Council election. He has made it onto the 11-person council along with number 2 and 3 on his ticket: Phillip Beazley and Mal McKenzie.

More than half of the new councillors elected to one of the largest Local Government Areas in coastal NSW will be new to the role.

The Libertarians have romped it in to MidCoast Council, with their top three candidates securing a seat on the 11-person council.

Lead candidate Michael Graham and his team started campaigning early and finished strongly with an army of volunteers out and about when voting booths opened.

Mr Graham, a farm worker from Mooral Creek, will be joined on council by Phillip Beazley from Smiths Lake and Mal McKenzie from Langley Vale.

Mick and his wife campaigned hard in the local area for the ‘No Vote’ during the Voice Referendum and fought strongly against the Covid restrictions during lockdowns.

MidCoast Council was formed in 2016 with the amalgamation of the former Taree, Great Lakes and Gloucester shires.

Previous mayor Claire Pontin has been re-elected and will put her hand up again for the role.

It takes in diverse areas like Hawks Nest often associated with the Port Stephens region and the villages and surrounds of Gloucester with links to the Upper Hunter.

In recent times the council has come under scrutiny for its track record in the areas of financial management and governance.

Another newcomer to council is Thomas O’Keefe, a journalist with the News Of The Area (NOTA) newspaper in the Tea Gardens – Hawks Nest Area.

Mr O’Keefe says he will push for greater scrutiny of council’s finances and address the high level of staff turnover in the organisation.

Thomas Okeefe MidCoast Council candidate.

MidCoast Council was the recipient of the Golden Turd award for the most s**t human resources in local government for two years in a row.

Other newcomers include Nicole Turnbull and Digby Wilson.

Ms Turnbull ran in support of Alan Tickle who was first elected to MidCoast Council in 2021 and has been returned for another term.

Mr Wilson was second on previous mayor Claire Pontin’s Labor ticket who has been returned for another term.

She acknowledged the “intense” campaign by the Libertarians and is not phased by the large number of new faces on council pointing out it was always on the cards with five councillors retiring at the September election.

“That’s democracy,” she said.

Four new mayors elected to power on the Coffs and Mid-North Coast are Adam Roberts for Port Macquarie-Hastings, Kinne Ring for Kempsey, Nikki Williams for Coffs Harbour and Gary Lee in the Nambucca Valley.

Ms Pontin has declared her intention to put her hand up for the role of mayor once again which will be determined by councillors at their next meeting on October 9.

It’s a different situation in a number of other councils in the region including Port Macquarie, Nambucca, Kempsey, Coffs Harbour and Bellingen where voters elect both mayors and councillors and this year there has been a strong appetite for change with all but one new to the role.

Other MidCoast Councillors to be returned for another term are Peter Howard, Jeremy Miller and Dheera Smith.

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