Shoalhaven Council election: Liberals announce first ever local government ticket
The Liberal Party is having its first crack at running candidates in a south coast council election, with a current councillor and lawyer heading the ticket.
The South Coast News
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The Liberal Party is having its first crack at a NSW south coast council in the upcoming local government elections, following the announcement the two-term Greens mayor will be stepping aside.
Current Shoalhaven councillors Paul Ell and Serena Copley, as well as Luke Sikora, a former candidate for the South Coast state electorate, announced this week they would be the Liberal candidates for Shoalhaven Council at next month’s poll.
Mr Ell, who is also a local lawyer, will head the ticket, having a crack at mayor.
“This is the first time that the Liberal Party has ever stood candidates for a council election in the Shoalhaven,” Mr Ell said.
“But it couldn’t come at a more urgent time when our community needs real leadership to get the Shoalhaven back on track.”
The run for mayor comes after Mr Ell failed to gain Liberal preselection for the federal seat for Gilmore twice – first in the 2022 election and again this year.
However, Mr Ell said he planned to use his experience as a councillor to win the leadership position.
“As mayor of the Shoalhaven, I will work hard every day to make our city the best place to live, work and invest,” he said.
“While I’m running as a Liberal, I’m a member of this community first and foremost.”
Meanwhile, Ms Copley – who was elected to council in 2021 – will run as the Liberal candidate for ward one and Mr Sikora will run for ward three.
“We look forward to introducing our other passionate and experience local candidates soon,” Mr Ell said.
Mr Sikora told this masthead he planned to use his experience at Meals on Wheels, running for state government and working for former South Coast MP Shelley Hancock in his tenure as a councillor.
“I’ll be a representative of the community and make sure that local projects and local events are delivered for people across the Shoalhaven,” he said.
Ms Copley said she was excited to be running for re-election.
“I will continue to work hard for my community and fight for financial responsibility in council, which I believe reflect Liberal values,” she said.
The announcement of the Liberal ticket comes just weeks after the current Greens mayor – and only one of two Greens mayors in NSW – Amanda Findley, announced she would not be seeking re-election.
The former Greens Senate and state seat candidate, who was elected to Shoalhaven Council in 2008, said unprecedented natural disasters on the south coast had taken a toll on her mental health and took away time she could spend on regular mayoral duties.
“That takes its toll on people,” she said.
“Your family suffers, your friends suffer, the people that you want to be spending time with, they don’t get to spend time with you.”
The Liberal ticket announcement also comes after a Shoalhaven businesswoman and former Liberal, Jemma Tribe, announced she would be running for mayor as an independent, having previously attempted Liberal preselection in state and federal elections.
“We have been very vocal as a chamber about council’s financial issues,” she said.
“Change is needed and I’m putting myself forward to be that change.”
The local government elections will be held next month.
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