Council election results for Ryde and Hunters Hill

LIBERAL Zac Miles, 26, may become one of Sydney’s youngest mayors following a tight battle with fellow councillor Mark Bennett in Hunters Hill.

Liberal Zac Miles could be Hunters Hill’s next mayor.

10pm

Parramatta Council will welcome back former mayor Lorraine Wearne with her party likely to receive the needed quota in Epping thanks to a preference from the Independents. Mrs Wearne said she is ready to represent the people of Epping and Parramatta, with the vote results showing a swing away from the Liberals.

“The electorate has decided to punish the Liberals by voting Independents and Greens,” Mrs Wearne said.

“I’ve been interested in looking at some of the other wards who have moved away fro Liberals as well, Rosehill has had a huge push towards the Greens, which I was surprised about.”

Epping has had a a large amount of informal or “donkey” votes, almost 11 per cent of people choosing to leave a blank voting paper.

“I think local government is taken for granted,” Mrs Wearne said. “It bothers me that we had so many informal votes.”

Counting has stopped for the evening and will resume tomorrow.

Residents voting at Ryde Bowling Club.

9.50pm

Former Howard Government Philip Ruddock, 74, looks set to return to politics as Hornsby mayor.

In early counting he had polled almost 49 per cent of the first preference vote putting him way out in front of the other four candidates in the race.

He retired from Federal politics in 2017.

9.40pm

A LIBERAL-turned-independent looks like regaining a place on Ryde Council, with Roy Maggio faring well in vote counting tonight.

Mr Maggio’s independent group in East Ward had 22.34 per cent of the vote, with more than half of all votes counted.

The enigmatic Mr Maggio is known for his campaigning for sports facilities.

Jordan Lane’s Liberal team received the most with 30.35 per cent, while Penny Pedersen’s Labor team had marginally more than Mr Maggio (22.77 per cent).

Four councillors will be elected in each Ryde ward.

Votes for Roy Maggio have been strong.

9.30pm

Ryde mayor Bill Pickering and deputy Jane Stott look like being the big losers of the election.

The two quit the Liberal party and formed an independent ticket after the Liberals chose not to preselect them as candidates.

However the independents gained only 10.99 per cent of the vote in Central Ward as counting continued.

Almost half the votes have been counted.

Liberal Sarkis Yedelian’s ticket polled the best in the ward, with 32.78 per cent.

Labor candidates, led by Bernard Purcell, were next (29.05 per cent), followed by the Greens (16.63 per cent), led by Edwina Clifton.

9pm

Two men vying for the Hunters Hill mayoralty cannot agree which of them is in the best position after vote counting closed tonight.

Liberal Zac Miles leads the contest with 40.83 per cent of the vote, after about a third of all votes have been counted.

Independent Mark Bennett is next with 31.54 per cent, followed by independent Ross Williams with 27.63 per cent.

Despite his position, Mr Miles did not say he was going to win the mayoralty.

He was wary of a preference deal between his two rivals.

“It’s still up in the air, and it’s looking likely tonight that Mark Bennett will become mayor,” he said.

Mr Bennett did not agree with Mr Miles.

“I think he’s being very complimentary. I think he’s a nice young guy and has done a good job on council and I wish him well,” he said.

Mr Bennett also believed preferences would be crucial, and that his 30-year-old rival had the upper hand.

“I think Zac is in the best position and the Liberal party brand has carried him very strongly,” he said.

Counting is due to continue on Sunday.

8.25pm

A 23-year-old Liberal candidate looks set to join Ryde Council, as vote counting continues from the election.

Jordan Lane, who worked at Ryde State Liberal MP Victor Dominello’s electorate office, was in a great position in East Ward with his team receiving 31.57 per cent of the vote.

Labor candidates, led by Penny Pedersen, had 23.86 per cent.

Independent Roy Maggio’s ticket was next with 20.81 per cent, followed by the Greens’ Christopher Gordon with 16.46 per cent.

Four councillors will be elected to each of the three Ryde wards.

8.10pm

Two newcomers to the Ryde Council election who campaigned heavily in the multicultural suburb of Eastwood will be hard-pressed to gain a position.

Independent rivals Kit Chan and Simon Zhou were well behind in the West Ward contest as vote counting continued.

Labor candidates, led by former mayor Jerome Laxale, lead with 39.93 per cent, followed by the Liberals, led by Trenton Brown, with 31.84 per cent.

Mr Zhou’s group had 11.75 per cent and Mr Chan’s had 6.33 per cent.

7.55pm

Parrmatta Council veteran Lorraine Wearne is a good chance to return as a councillor for Epping Ward, according to early results.

Liberal candidates, led by accountant Bill Tyrrell, had 34.35 per cent of the vote, followed by Labor, led by Donna Davis, with 24.61 per cent.

Ms Wearne’s independents had the third most, 17.45 per cent.

The next best group was the Greens, led by Lindsay Peters, with 12.90 per cent.

Lorraine Wearne looks set to return to Parramatta Council.

7.45pm

Ryde Mayor Bill Pickering and deputy Jane Stott are in trouble according to early results from the Ryde Council election.

The Liberal party chose not to preselect the pair as candidates this time, and both stood as independents in Central Ward.

However their independent group has received the least votes in the ward (8.72 per cent), during early stages of counting.

Labor, led by candidate Bernard Purcell, has the most (34.36 per cent) followed by the Liberals led by Sarkis Yedelian (25.64 per cent).

Jane Stott and Bill Pickering are in danger of losing their seats on council.

7.20pm

Liberal Zac Miles has an early lead in the contest for the Hunters Hill mayoralty as votes continue to be counted.

Mr Miles, 26, had 1,158 votes compared to 857 for independent Mark Bennett and 689 for independent Ross Williams.

Mr Miles and Mr Bennett are hoping to return to the council, while Mr Williams is a former mayor.

Hunters Hill Council and a band of residents successfully challenged the state Liberal government’s plan to merge it with Ryde and Lane Cove councils.

However Mr Miles’ early lead suggests many voters did not hold a grudge with the party.