Geelong council candidate Emilie Flynn apologises over drill incident

Just when you thought this council campaign had seen it all, a drill, fence and second-hand car yard have become front and centre in the latest corflute controversy.

This action has landed Greens candidate for Geelong council’s Kardinia ward Emilie Flynn in hot water. Source: Facebook.

Controversies concerning the corflutes of council candidates continue to plague the current campaign for seats at City Hall.

The latest incident, which saw allegations of criminal damage lodged with police this week, comes as the Geelong ratepayers association decried the increasing polarisation of local government elections.

Greens candidate for the Kardinia ward, Emilie Flynn, has been ordered to repair damage to the fence of Kardinia Park Car Sales after she used a cordless drill to screw her corflute to the structure.

The 30-year-old said she was given permission by the business, but the landowner of the Latrobe Tce site was infuriated after being alerted to a video Ms Flynn posted on social media of her affixing the sign.

The owner, who asked for his name not to be published, said Ms Flynn’s actions constituted vandalism and he wanted the fence repaired as soon as possible.

“Anyone who goes around causing property damage should not be running for council because we don’t need rogue councillors,” he said.

“I don’t think our community needs a rogue councillor who thinks she can just do whatever she likes.

“She shouldn’t be running for election.”

The owner said he previously removed Ms Flynn’s signs from the fence, which had been attached with zip ties.

Emilie Flynn. Picture: Supplied.

Ms Flynn said there was a “miscommunication” with the business about the best way to reattach her corflute.

“I’ve taken down my placard, apologised, and am working with the landlord to rectify the situation,” she said.

“I’m speaking with the owner about repairs and I’m organising a professional to fix the holes in the fence.”

The incident comes after Bell Park butcher Tony Siketa was caught on camera defacing the corflutes of Hamlyn Heights candidate Angela Carr with a lighter and knife.

With just one week before voting closes, a large number of candidates across the region have reported damage to their signs.

Former mayor Stretch Kontelj, an opponent of Ms Flynn in Kardinia and long-time Liberal member, said he had stopped replacing his due to the regularity of the attacks.

He claimed his signs were being specifically targeted, but fellow Kardinia candidate Peter Murrihy said “three of four” of his had been damaged.

Stretch Kontelj claims his corflutes are being specifically targeted in the hotly contested Kardinia ward. Picture: Supplied.

Ratepayers Geelong president Peter Mitchell said, more broadly, that the polarisation that has infiltrated federal and international politics in recent years was becoming increasingly more prevalent at a local level.

Mr Mitchell, who stood for Geelong council in 2017, said personal attacks against council candidates had become more common, thanks in part to social media.

“It’s becoming a much more emotional environment, rather than an issues, policy based arena,” he said.

“People are very quick to label someone or something left-wing or right-wing, but that’s often simply because they don’t agree with it.

“It is becoming more partisan (environment), but people are also using partisan terminology to justify their own position.”

The experience of first-time Surf Coast Shire candidate Rebecca Bourke has made her feel uneasy.

Her husband and campaign manager, former Cats captain Damian Bourke, said she had been subjected to a flurry of online abuse, most of it anonymously.

Rebecca and Damian Bourke. Picture: Mike Dugdale.

In the past week, Ms Bourke, a family law mediator unaffiliated with any political party, also received an anonymous text message that further unsettled her.

The message asked whether she was married and if her husband was home.

While he can’t be certain, Mr Bourke is convinced it is linked to her candidacy, particularly as her mobile number is listed on her Facebook page.

“It’s too much of a coincidence that it has all happened around the same time,” he said.

“It definitely had a creepy element to it … it has made her a bit reluctant to be too public.”

The Bourkes opted against reporting the message to police as they believed it could escalate the situation.

Originally published as Geelong council candidate Emilie Flynn apologises over drill incident