Newcastle mayoral, council candidates for 2021 local government elections
There are six candidates for Newcastle City Mayor at the upcoming local government elections. We also look at the lead candidates, who they are and what they stand for.
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On December 4, candidates will be vying for a seat at Newcastle City Council - among four wards - after an almost year-and-a-half election delay.
Incumbent Mayor Nuatali Nelmes is again re-electing for the top job, up against five other mayoral candidates.
There’s also a number of fresh faces added to the candidate list.
Here are your mayoral candidates:
Nuatali Nelmes (Lord Mayor) – Labor, Ward 3
Ms Nelmes was elected as a councillor in 2008, before being elected as lord mayor in 2014 in a by-election, becoming the city’s second female leader, after Joy Cummings.
“As Lord Mayor, I’ve focused on outcomes for our community. Our Labor team has ensured the Council‘s financial sustainability, while protecting essential public services, enhancing our pools, parks and libraries, and taking real action on climate change,” she said.
“We have delivered projects in every ward of the City, including main street upgrades in Beresfield and Kotara, new playgrounds in New Lambton and Wallsend, and new footpaths in Maryland and Elermore Vale.
“I‘m a relentless advocate for our city, working across party lines with decision makers in Sydney and Canberra.
“Newcastle is still recovering from the pandemic and needs an experienced leader who knows how to get the job done. That‘s why I’m asking for your support.”
John Church - Independent, Ward 1
Mr Church was elected as a ward One Independent in 2017.
He’s passionate about connecting and listening to the community and providing them with a strong voice inside council.
He believes in an accountable, transparent council that is free from party politics, spin and secrets, and was a vocal critic of the $17.6m fit-out of council’s rented administration building.
Mr Church pledges to freeze rate increases next financial year after years of massive increases under Labor and has promised to build six new surf clubs and a year round aquatic centre at Lambton Pool.
He will also tackle the infrastructure backlog and has positive plans to build more footpaths and cycleways, improve local sporting facilities, parks, playgrounds and local town centres.
Jenny Barrie - Liberal, Ward 2
Ms Barrie is the Manager of Electrodry Storage Solutions, with 25 years of experience owning businesses.
She is also Hunter Business Lions Club President, Fig Tree Garden Association Treasurer, and a Newcastle Music Festival Committee member.
She’s also a mother of two adult children and has five grandchildren.
Ms Barrie has a vision for the City of Newcastle, growing tourism, improving community safety, and creating more local jobs.
She is passionate about helping local small businesses recover and prosper, with Council help in partnership with State Government.
If elected, the Liberal team will freeze rates, abolish the Special Business Rate and ensure good fiscal management and governance.
John Mackenzie - Greens, Ward 1
Mr Mackenzie has been a Newcastle Councillor since 2017.
He has championed Newcastle’s transition to a carbon neutral city and participatory urban planning for more liveable suburbs and neighbourhoods.
He’s an outspoken community leader on climate change, housing affordability, environment, heritage, active transport and urban forests.
Mr Mackenzie is a social researcher and policy consultant by profession, with twenty years’ experience in academic, government and consulting roles.
His vision is an affordable Newcastle that is cooled and shaded by urban forest, able to meet citizens’ needs within a 20-minute trip from home and is carbon neutral by 2035.
Steve O’Brien - Social alliance, Ward 1
As a socialist Mr O’Brien believes in putting people‘s needs before profits.
He lives in Newcastle East, works at TAFE and is a long-term activist in resident and community groups.
“Young people, like those blockading coal infrastructure are the ones who, in 25 years’ time, will live with beach erosion, floods in low lying suburbs and bushfires caused by inaction on climate change,” he said.
“Council needs to actively support the transition to a renewable economy by helping put good alternative jobs in place as the coal and allied industries wind down.
He said many people pay high rents or have mortgages, and a solution for the problem is for Council to campaign for rent controls and more quality, carbon-neutral public housing partly funded by big developer contributions.”
Rodney Holding - Independent
He’s no stranger to running as a political candidate, this time only vying for the top job.
“I have had many occupations, and for years now have been a removalist, this work keeps me fit while offering physical challenges on a daily basis,” he said.
“As mayor I would like to move the city council toward full fiscal accountability and contractual transparency on all public tendering. Removing the stench of corruption that constantly hangs around Newcastle is my ambition.
“Most importantly too, the Orica ammonia nitrate dump must be safely relocated, before the city is obliterated.”
Here are the lead candidates:
WARD 1
Blake Keating - Liberal
Mr Keating is a 26-year-old Newcastle local who has a civil construction and renewable energy project background working for companies such as Downer EDi, Daracon and Zenviron.
He has a Bachelor’s Degree (Honours) in Building and Construction Management and is currently studying an MBA and Master of Applied Finance at the University of Newcastle.
He’s passionate about ensuring Newcastle gets its fair share from Sydney and Canberra.
On Council, he vows to work immediately to freeze rates so that no more pressure will be placed on ratepayers.
Mr Keating will focus on fixing Stockton beach, increasing maintenance on crumbling roads and he will never vote to take away weekly bin collection.
Declan Clausen (deputy mayor) - Labor
As Newcastle’s youngest to hold deputy mayor in the city’s 220-year history, Mr Clausen was first elected in 2015.
He’s passionate about the transition of our region and is proud to have led a Council that has built its own large scale solar farm and switched to 100% renewable energy, while supporting new industrial jobs in our region.
“In response to COVID, this Council has delivered a record stimulus investment in new footpaths, playgrounds and roads. We have more than doubled Council’s annual infrastructure delivery,” he said.
“Newcastle has an exciting future, but needs sound and stable leadership. As a young person, I am invested in our City’s future and delivering our City’s potential.”
WARD 2
Charlotte McCabe - Greens
Originally from Victoria, Ms McCabe first became involved in activism in the late 1990s at Melbourne University and continued active involvement in grassroots community campaigns against uranium mining and in full support of forests, peace and climate change.
Her belief in a strong public education system led her to become a primary school teacher. She has most recently worked as a community organiser with The Wilderness Society, and is currently on the board for the Worimi Conservation Lands as an environmental representative.
Ms McCabe moved to Newcastle eight years ago with her husband and two daughters. She has been an active member of the Tighes Hill Community Group and a spokesperson for coal terminal related issues.
“I am committed to building a fairer, cleaner future through a grassroots democracy that is transparent and accountable. We have an incredible opportunity, post Covid-19 to rebuild a fairer, cleaner economy,” she said.
Carol Duncan - Labor
As a councillor she has worked to deliver projects like the James Street Plaza upgrade in Hamilton, the new Merewether cycleway, the Gregson Park Masterplan, and main street upgrades in Joslin Street Kotara and Llewellyn Street Merewether.
But Ms Duncan believes Council is more than just bins and roads.
“It is also theatre, art, music, sport, and passion. I’ve worked on protecting heritage, supporting live music, and securing funding for the Art Gallery expansion,” she said.
“Newcastle is a changing City, and I’m running again to be part of the experienced team that is protecting the things we love and upgrading the things we need.”
PJ Fallon - Independent
He’s a Merewether local running on the Newcastle Independent ticket.
A passionate advocate for Newcastle, he’s wants to keep politics out of local government.
“Our councillors vote according to the wishes of their community not their political masters. No agendas from head office. Just a focus on local government services and putting Newcastle First,” he said.
“If you want to get back to what matters most for local government, working with the people and businesses of the Newcastle City Council vote for your Ward’s Newcastle Independent candidate.”
WARD 3
Katrina Wark - Liberal
Ms Wark is a community leader with a strong voice representing ratepayers, business owners and residents.
She is passionate about serving her local community and is married to Peter, who is a Professor of Respiratory Medicine at John Hunter Hospital and has seven children and two grandchildren.
Ms Wark founded the Newcastle Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation that raises much needed funds for CF Australia, as well as adult and paediatric patients in the Hunter New England Health District and has also been involved with the JHCRF and assisted in running events to help raise much needed money for grants in children’s research in HMRI.
“I want to engage and talk with residents of ward 3 to find out what they want and will work tirelessly if elected, to support the hard-working residents of Ward 3,” she said.
Sinead Francis-Coan - Greens
Ms Coan is a passionate Novocastrian with a background in tourism studies at the University of Newcastle and a passion for the performing and creative arts.
She is an active member in the community, advocating for the environment, Indigenous rights, women’s rights, workers’ rights and refugee rights across a wide range of different community groups.
Having grown up in Jesmond, Ms Coan knows that Newcastle is far more than just what the CBD has to offer, and her extensive travel experience helps her appreciate the facilities in Newcastle but also see the potential of how public spaces have been used around the world.
She does some freelance writing and has been published in Global Hobo magazine blogs regularly for The Globetrotters Grind. Her postgraduate research focused on land use conflict in the Upper Hunter Valley.
Mark Brooker – Independent
Mr Brooker is the founder and publisher of The Local, a community newspaper which is distributed monthly through a number of Newcastle’s suburbs. He’s also a support worker for a local disability services provider.
“I am standing for Council to remind the big parties that the community has had enough of the political game playing,” he said.
“I believe the sustainable growth and prosperity of my local community is best served by truly independent representation, not the big parties and groups.
“Local communities don’t need the petty partisan politics, the mudslinging and the name-calling that have characterised this term of council.
“I’m about grass roots representation of my community without the politicking.”
Darren Brollo, Animal Justice Party
Mr Brollo is a proponent of equality for all species.
He has a simple message that we must do better for animals, better for the environment, and better for the vulnerable in our society.
“If elected, I will ensure animal issues are at the forefront of debate, including pound reform and subsidised desexing and registration,” he said.
He vows to work collaboratively with local organisations to make real change for vulnerable and disadvantaged people within the Newcastle community, move to ban the sale of single-use plastic on council-controlled lands, and address over-development and habitat destruction.
David Wild - Independent
The lifelong Newcastle local and 53-year-old father of five is keen to contribute to the community and fix up local roads and walkways.
A former policeman and police prosecutor, Mr Wild has served on various high profile Strike Forces investigating serious offences including armed robbery, sexual assault and murder.
He has also formerly led the Hunter and Newcastle Rugby League, and he’s a qualified rugby league referee and cricket umpire. Nowadays he is working with Cricket NSW and continues to run representative programs with New South Wales Rugby League.
“I see my candidacy as a chance to give back to the community in both a meaningful and positive way,” he said.
“I would relish the opportunity to assist in the implementation of change to benefit the community that I have been a part of my whole life.
“If elected, I will endeavour to improve the quality of streets and walkways, and I want to see Lambton Pool fixed.”
Peta Winney-Baartz - Labor
The experienced councillor said she’s proud to be part of the Labor team that is delivering new social and affordable housing, taking real action on climate change, improving our sporting facilities, and ensuring Council’s financial sustainability.
“New playgrounds in New Lambton and Hamilton North, more footpaths in Lambton and Waratah, and upgrading Blackbutt Reserve have been among the many projects delivered by the current council,” she said.
As Chair of the Strategic Sports Committee, Ms Winney-Baartz oversaw $87 million in new investment into Newcastle’s open spaces, including $42 million specifically targeted at better sporting facilities.
WARD 4
Callum Pull - Liberal
Mr Pull believes that the western suburbs are at the forefront of Newcastle’s growth.
He is a young local, currently completing a Bachelor of Communications, News and Digital Media at Newcastle University, and is focused on addressing cost of living pressures by lowering rates, and building and maintaining key infrastructure to enable growth.
He’s also committed to freezing rates for the full term of Council.
Mr Pull wants to ensure a vibrant local economy and setting the economic conditions which will see local businesses thrive.
He believes the Council has left the western suburbs behind, and will ensure that the residents of Ward 4 get their fair share of the city’s investment in roads, services and infrastructure.
Thomas Levick - Greens
Me Levick has lived in Newcastle for five years and has developed a deep love of the city.
He is studying a PhD in Aboriginal-owned co-operatives at the University of Newcastle, with a passion and a penchant for social change and community development.
“COVID-19 has made social services only more important and hazardous, and these opportunities have given me great insight into the direction communities, institutions and governments must take in order to secure a better future for us all,” he said.
“As a Councillor, I will support responsible and sustainable initiatives that are equitable for all in our growing city. We plan to confront the issues too long abused as political weapons by established parties, such as transport, infrastructure and public services.
“Urgent action on climate change is required, and we will work to make Newcastle Council carbon neutral as soon as possible.
“Homelessness, insecure housing and unemployment are fast becoming crisis points for the city, and I hope to see Greens Councillors elected to genuinely address them.”
Deahnna Richardson - Labor
As a mum of young kids in Wallsend, she knows the value of public spaces such as playgrounds, libraries, parks and pools.
“I have been impressed by Nuatali Nelmes’ investment in our public facilities, and want to be part of her Labor team that delivers for local residents,” she said.
“As a candidate at this election, I have had the opportunity to meet many local residents and hear their positive feedback about main street upgrades in Beresfield, Shortland, and Wallsend.
“With my Labor colleagues, I have pledged to deliver improvements to Minmi Road, a new fenced dog park in Maryland, and to keep pool fees low in Beresfield.”
Kath Elliott - Independent
Cr Elliott has represented Ward 2 during the current term of Council, but now resides in Ward 4, running on the Newcastle Independent ticket.
She firmly believes party politics have no place in local government, which is there to serve the local community, not party interests.
Ms Elliott will fight for the completion of flood mitigation for Wallsend and work closely with the State Government to resolve the traffic jams on Minmi Road.
She’s dedicated to engaging with communities, and has 30 years of professional experience in community consultation and engagement.
She understands the pressures on working people and will fight for better services and support to make Newcastle a better place to live and will fight for improved community facilities.
Wayne Rogers - Independent
Mr Rogers vows to be a voice for the Newcastle community, fighting for “our fair share”.
He has been entertaining audiences for 40 years and is recognised as a star performer on the club circuit and in venues across Australia and internationally.
In 2011, Wayne appeared on Network 7’s ratings blockbuster, Australia’s Got Talent and since then he has been in constant demand.
Mr Rogers is a multi-award winning artist, and his unique performance generates an excitement that has been referred to as funny, sophisticated and classy.
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