Minimum one change to Darwin council, but none yet to officially challenge Lord Mayor position
DARWIN Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis may well run for the chair of Darwin council unopposed
Northern Territory
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DARWIN Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis may well run for the chair of Darwin council unopposed from his current aldermen, with none confirming they would run against him.
Waters Ward alderman Gary Haslett gave the greatest indication of challenging the lord mayor saying he “would not rule it out” while remaining was committed to representing the people of Waters Ward.
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Aldermen Peter Pangquee and Robin Knox are two others who said they had not yet decided on running a mayoral campaign.
Meanwhile Alderman George Lambrinidis said it was something he would consider at future elections.
“I don’t think I will (run for mayor) this year, I think that may be something in the distant future,” he said.
“Whoever has the fortune, it’s a very honorary decision.”
It means Mr Vatskalis could well run against a newcomer to the Darwin council system – a challenge he may simply brush aside.
As for the cohort of aldermen, most seemed confident they would continue, keen to maintain the work they have done after getting into the swing of council.
“The whole COVID challenge this term has made things a lot different to the last term, I think trying to help the council move through that and help money flowing through the city again, it was just a different challenge something we’ve never had before and I’d love to see what I could do with another term on council,” Alderman Rebecca Want de Rowe said.
“I think COVID’s going to be around for a little while and I think we’re very blessed but we need to be able to see things through, I’d love to see it through until COVID is simply a part of history.”
Alderman Paul Arnold, who has only been on council since April 2020, said he doesn’t feel he has had enough time to get into the swing of local government and is keen to do more for the people who voted him in.
“Coming into a council that’s already operating and everyone knows each other, made it quite difficult to start,” he said.
“But now I’m getting into how everything rolls and moves and I’m getting that experience and a few things start to come. It takes about 12 months to bring something online, so I’m starting to get a few things moving now.”
A number of aldermen who have only served one term or a short time on council shared similar sentiments, saying they felt four years wasn’t enough and wanted another term on council.
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After Alderman Emma Young left her position as an elected member last month to take a new position with City of Darwin, it means there will be at least one fresh face on council in September.
A raft of candidates to fill her position will make themselves known later this year when nominations open.
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