Who’s in & who’s out: Hear from the council leaders up for re-election across the South West

With local government elections fast approaching, the South Western Times has compiled a guide to the elected members leading the councils across the region. Learn who is gearing up to compete for their seat, who will be stepping aside and who is safe come October 16. Candidate nominations open today and close 4pm Thursday, September 9. Shire of Augusta-Margaret River After three terms of serving Augusta-Margaret River residents, Shire president Ian Earl shows no signs of slowing down. Cr Earl plans on re-contesting this year’s election, saying his job within the community was far from complete. “There is still plenty to do on council and the past year with COVID has been very rewarding, not that it didn’t have its challenges,” he said. Cr Earl said the first 12 months of the pandemic were “the most intense time” he had spent on council in his 12 years of service, but he was proud of what council achieved including the COVID-19 relief fund. “There would be those who said we went too hard, too soon, but we didn’t know what we were facing,” he said. “We were staring down the barrel of a big unknown.” Deputy president Pauline McLeod will not be renominating, deciding her four-year stint was a good length of time to make an impact. “I encourage others to put their hand up,” she said. “We will help build a more innovative, resilient and flourishing society in our shire if we elect independent-minded councillors who are prepared to listen. There is much to be done.” Four councillor vacancies will be available. Shire of Boyup Brook Boyup Brook Shire president Richard Walker will have his position on the council up for re-election this year and plans to run for it again. Cr Walker has served on the council after first being elected in 2011, but was named president when Graham Aird stepped down from the role early last year. After being dropped into the role during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cr Walker said he hoped he could maintain his position and continue to help the Shire with solid planning and project development into the future. “My focus is on getting things moving,” he said. “Good planning helps with funding and getting projects going.” Cr Helen O’Connell will also run for her position again after being named deputy president last year in her first term as a councillor. Four councillor vacancies will be available. City of Bunbury Bunbury Mayor Gary Brennan has dedicated eight years to helping shape the community, but he’s now ready to pass the torch to the next candidate. Mr Brennan said he was proud of the way the community and council employees responded to the challenges of lockdowns and restrictions brought about by the pandemic. “The councils I have been privileged to lead during the past eight years have achieved a great deal of improvement to our city, in particular major infrastructure projects and a continuous focus on making our city a better place for the benefit of our community while enticing visitors, investors and new residents,” he said. He encouraged anyone with a passion for Bunbury and a drive to make a difference to nominate for council or mayor. With eight years of council experience behind him, Deputy Mayor Jaysen De San Miguel said he was enthusiastic about the city’s future and the opportunity to run for council again. He also plans on throwing his name in the ring for mayor. Six councillor vacancies will be available and the position of mayor. City of Busselton Busselton Mayor Grant Henley is approaching the end of his third term as councillor, but he is not ready to give up his post. With 12 years of council experience under his belt — including four years as a councillor, two as deputy mayor and four as mayor — Mr Henley will re-run for his position. “I think local government generally is the closest form of government to the people,” he said. “It’s important to have members of the community to represent the community and decision making process that underpins council.” Deputy Mayor Kelly Hick’s position is also up for grabs. Three councillor vacancies will be available and the position of Mayor. Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes In Bridgetown-Greenbushes, Shire president John Nicholas is yet to make his mind up on if he will run for his role again in the upcoming election with his term expiring this year. Cr Nicholas was first elected to the council in 2013 and took on the top role between 2015 and 2017, which he lost the following term but regained in 2019. Although Cr Nicholas has not made a decision on running for president again, he said he hoped to see important growth strategies in the Shire followed over coming years. Deputy president Barbara Johnson’s seat will remain safe with her current term set to expire in 2023. Five councillor vacancies will be available. Shire of Capel Capel Shire president Michael Southwell will not run in the upcoming elections because his “mission” to reshape the council has been achieved. After two years in the role, Cr Southwell has received a mixed response from the Capel community. However, Cr Southwell said he was proud of the changes he made as president. “When I first got on there, I thought (the council) was very old fashioned, very stale,” he said. “It was my mission to open it up, make it more accountable, engage with the community more, and bring the council practices into a modern way of doing things.” Deputy president Kaara Andrews will remain in her seat until her term expires in 2023. Four councillor vacancies will be available. Shire of Collie Wrapping up her first stint as Collie Shire president but second term on the council, Sarah Stanley plans to run again this year. Cr Stanley hopes the election results will continue to reflect the diverse makeup of the Collie community. “It is good to have that balance of skills, experience and background, and gender plays some part in that,” she said. Ian Miffling has served on council for 14 years, four of which were as deputy president. While he is not due for re-election, his deputy position will expire at the upcoming elections. Five councillor vacancies will be available. Shire of Dardanup Dardanup Shire president Mick Bennett has enjoyed a long and successful run both as councillor and in the top role. Cr Bennett was first elected to the council in 1991 and went on to serve as Shire president between 1995 and 2005, before returning to council in 2009 and eventually as Shire president in 2011 where he has served since. Cr Bennett said he was intending to run again in this year’s election, declaring he hoped to continue supporting the Shire. “After many years and much planning, we’re setting off on a new journey towards our 2050 document and I wish to participate in the first few years of that in order to make sure we’re following the wishes of the community,” he said. Deputy president Peter Robinson was first elected as councillor in 2011 and was eventually elected deputy president in 2013, with his current term set to expire in 2023. Five councillor vacancies will be available. Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup Donnybrook-Balingup Shire president Brian Piesse says he is set to re-nominate for council and hopes to extend his tenure as president. Cr Piesse was first elected to the council in 2017 and was then elected as Shire president. Up for re-nomination, Cr Piesse says he will run for a third time and has “unfinished business” to continue. “In the last four years, while we have had some changes in council, we are regarded as a much more functional council since 2017, and our scorecard suggests such,” he said. Deputy Shire president Jackie Massey is not due for re-election this year and will continue to serve until 2023. Five councillor vacancies will be available. Shire of Harvey Harvey Shire president Paul Gillett is facing re-election and is eager to throw his hat in the ring for another term in the hot seat. After stepping into the president role in 2019 and joining the council in 2017, Cr Gillett said he had enjoyed leading the community through an exciting time for the shire. “The Shire is going through rapid growth and it is great to be part of a dedicated team of councillors and staff, delivering good outcomes for our residents,” he said. Cr Gillett said he hoped to continue to deliver great outcomes for the Shire and help bring its “fantastic projects” to fruition. Deputy president Francis Burgoyne, who is not up for re-election, said he was looking forward to the outcome of this year’s public vote. Six councillor vacancies will be available. Shire of Manjimup Political titan and Manjimup Shire president Paul Omodei has spent much of his adult life involved in local and State Government, at one time holding the Leader of the Opposition position. Cr Omodei was first elected as a Manjimup Shire councillor in 1977 before serving his two stints as Shire president in 1983-85 and 1987-88. He then spent 20 years in State Government politics, holding various ministerial portfolios including water and local government. Having spent more than 40 years in public office, Cr Omodei said this election would be the last time he stood to see out “unfinished business” in the Shire. “I’d like to do another term to finish off some of the business that we have started and then I will ride off into the sunset,” he said. Deputy Shire president Jayde Darin has spent one term in her seat and said the work the council had achieved over the past four years was a testament to how committed she was to serving her constituents. “I think we have done a lot over the last four years, I think we have achieved quite a bit and I do think there is a lot more still to be done,” she said. She plans to re-contest at this year’s election. Six councillor vacancies will be available. Shire of Nannup Nannup Shire president Tony Dean has been involved with local and State politics for almost three decades since first taking office in Bunbury in 1994. Cr Dean then served as a State MP between 2001 and 2005 before he was defeated in the State election. He returned to his native Nannup and stood for local government in 2007 where he won a seat on the council before taking on the top job in 2011. In his role as president, Cr Dean said he felt he had helped Nannup begin the transition from a milling town to a South West tourism hub. Deputy Shire president Robin Mellema was first elected to the council in 1999 and took up his current role in 2015. Cr Mellema said he was still undecided about whether he was going to stand for office again this year after a long career in local government. He said he was proud of the work he had accomplished as a councillor and as Shire deputy president for the people of Nannup. Four councillor vacancies will be available. Shire of Waroona Waroona Shire president Mike Walmsley and deputy Naomi Purcell will run for re-election this year. Cr Walmsley said he wanted to keep shaping Waroona’s future for the better. “I am pretty keen to get the Intergenerational Space project up and going, and I’m not going to be able to do that from outside of council,” he said. Cr Purcell said she hoped to continue to be a part of improving the Shire. “I have done everything I need to do to be running again for another term,” she said. “I am still passionate about community and still appreciate being a representative to the electorate.” Four councillor vacancies will be available.