Mayor Jilly Gibson declares victory at North Sydney Council
Mayor Jilly Gibson is looking forward to a second term after declaring victory in the vote for North Sydney Council.
Mosman
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Mayor Jilly Gibson has claimed victory after soaring ahead in the vote for North Sydney Council.
Cr Gibson took on three other candidates in the race for the top spot and is set to return for her second term.
“It was an honour to be elected Mayor of North Sydney in 2012,” she said.
“It was a greater honour to be re-elected on September 9. My team and I will represent the community with passion.”
Fellow councillor Zoe Baker is currently in second place.
More than 30,000 votes have so far been counted. The results so far show Cr Gibson at about 42 per cent of first preferences and Cr Baker at 30 per cent.
The pair were up against each other in the last election, when Cr Baker finished second.
Two other candidates also challenged for the position this year; businesswoman Jessica Keen and Liberal Democrats’ newcomer Michael Kong.
Meanwhile, voters were also asked about the future of the mayoral position in a referendum question.
The results so far indicate that voters chose to allow the councillors to choose the mayor for a two-year term. This will bring an end to the current system of a popularly elected mayor.
The past five years have been a troubled time for the council, which covers some of the most prestigious areas of Sydney.
It was the subject of a public inquiry, was one of the most complained about councils in the state and also faced its demise under the state government’s push for larger councils.
The inquiry was launched by the state government to investigate allegations of dysfunction and conflict.
Earlier this year a bill of more than half a million dollars was slapped on the council to cover the costs.
Local Government Minister Gabrielle Upton said the inquiry found decisions and administrative arrangements were “symptomatic of dysfunction”.
“This was more a community soap opera instead of a proper council — the show has been a flop and state taxpayers won’t be picking up the tab,” she said.
The push for larger councils would have seen North Sydney being merged with neighbours Mosman and Willoughby.
North Sydney launched legal action against the state government plan.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian dumped the policy in July leaving the three councils to remain independent. The council served a five-year term, one year longer than the usual tenure, as a result of the push for council mergers.
The newly-elected councillors will serve a three-year term.
The new councillors will be officially declared in the coming days.
Follow the live results for North Sydney Council here: elections.nsw.gov.au/north-sydney
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