The emphatic win by Labor’s Nuatali Nelmes in the recent
Newcastle Lord Mayoral by election represents a major shift in Newcastle
Council’s delicate power balance, and perhaps in the politics of the city.
Clr Nelmes won in a landslide, with 42.3% of the primary
vote. Liberal councillor Brad Luke, who stood as an Independent, ran second
with 23.6%, followed by The Greens Therese Doyle (14.2%) and Independent former
councillor Aaron Buman (11.5%).
With Jeff McCloy gone and Clr Nelmes now in the Chair for
council meetings, the “McCLoyal” voting bloc, comprising the two conservative
Independents (Clrs Robertson and Rufo) and the four Liberals (Clrs Compton,
Luke, Tierney and Waterhouse) are no longer the majority.
The monotonously dominant 7-6 votes that characterised the
brief McCloy era, to be replaced by 6-6 deadlocks decided on the casting vote
of the (now former) Deputy Lord Mayor Brad Luke following Jeff McCloy’s
resignation, are now gone.
While Labor and The Greens are unlikely to form the same
rigid voting bloc as the McCloyals, 6-6 deadlocks will now be decided on the
casting vote of the new Lord Mayor, Clr Nelmes.
A by-election to replace the vacancy created by Clr Nelmes
in Ward 3, could change this again, though the likelihood is that Labor will
increase its council numbers to five, becoming the single largest council
group.
Given that the Lord Mayoral by-election was triggered by Jeff
McCloy’s resignation after revelations about his involvement in illegal political
donations, it’s unsurprising that restoring public confidence in government was
a key platform of candidates who had been opposed to the McCloy style.
Running strongly on this theme, both Labor and The Greens
increased their votes from the 2012 council election.
During the campaign, Labor and The Greens co-signed an Open
Government Reform Agreement, which committed them to:
1. Make all Councillor/staff workshops and briefings open to the public, subject to the confidentiality provisions of the Local Government Act.
2. Amend the Council Code of Conduct and Code of Meeting Practice to remove unnecessary impediments to councillors performing their duties as elected representatives.
3. The Lord Mayor, the General Manager and their staff will maintain an online, real-time open diary like those used by some NSW State MPs. This diary will record the times, participants and topics of discussions of any meetings in which they are involved with people not employed by council, including but not limited to development or project proponents, lobbyists, government agencies, other elected officials, and community groups.
4. Establish a network of council-supported, community-based groups or committees who represent the interests of residents in the local communities.
5. Create an Internal Council Ombudsman role to independently investigate and respond to complaints about council administration.
6. Provide increased opportunities for community members and groups to address the elected council at ordinary council meetings, Public Voice sessions, and site inspections, and remove unnecessary vetting of access to these channels of input.
7. Revitalise and expand Council’s committee system as a key structure for community and expert input into council decision-making.
8. Implement a fortnightly council meeting cycle by interspersing ordinary Council meetings with meetings of strategic advisory committees.
9. Ensure resident consultation before any decision to remove significant local assets, including significant trees.
10. Improve communication methods with the community to ensure that all residents have an opportunity to be involved in their council e.g. improve Council’s website to make it faster, more accessible and easier to use and search.
Voters hoping for a definitive sign that the city really has moved beyond the McCloy period will be looking for how this commitment will be put into practice.
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