Starting from next week local residents and non-resident owners will receive postal voting packages for the 2015 local government elections. The cut off for return and processing of votes is 6:00pm on Saturday the 17th of October.
Whilst voting in local government elections isn’t compulsory, I would encourage everyone to take an interest in how their local council is run. Local councils are critical to the planning and development of our suburbs, streets and communities and make a significant contribution to our quality of life, not to mention our property values! As a real estate agent I know how issues like appropriate development, attractive local infrastructure, parks, facilities, community events and even street trees (or lack thereof) can influence the value of property, so if that’s not an incentive to take an interest I don’t know what is!
Two of the most interesting contests in the upcoming elections will be for that of the role of Mayor in the City of Vincent, where popular incumbent John Carey is up against two new to local government candidates, Deborah Saunders and Malcolm Boyd, and the City of Bayswater South Ward where current Mayor Sylvan Albert is being challenged by Maylands local, businesswoman and LACE Chairman Catherine Ehrhardt. Whilst the position of Mayor is voted for by Councillors at the Cities of Bayswater and Stirling, at Vincent it’s residents that get to decide.
For more information on the voting process and candidates please see the links below – many candidates have their own websites and facebook pages also. Oh, if you’re in the City of Stirling’s Mount Lawley Ward you don’t get to vote this time – incumbent Joe Ferrante has been re-elected unopposed. And if you’re standing for the Inglewood Ward, make an effort and at least hit my letterbox with something please!
To see the profiles of the candidates running for City of Vincent Mayor and North & South Ward Councillors click here
To see the profiles of the 13 candidates vying for 5 positions in 4 Wards at the City of Bayswater click here
To see the City of Stirling Inglewood Ward candidates click here
And to check if you’re enrolled to vote at the local government elections click here
*Image taken from the Western Australian Electoral Commission website
