General News
22 October, 2024
Council race enters the home straight
CAMPAIGN styles have varied but Loddon Shire’s seven candidates out on the election hustings have had one thing in common the past month or more - securing a spot on council for the next four years. Incumbents Wendy Murphy (Inglewood Ward) and...
CAMPAIGN styles have varied but Loddon Shire’s seven candidates out on the election hustings have had one thing in common the past month or more - securing a spot on council for the next four years.
Incumbents Wendy Murphy (Inglewood Ward) and Linda Jungwirth (Tarnagulla) have been challenged at the end of their first term on council.
The pair have often teamed to fight their causes at the council table and during the campaign have taken to liking each other’s online posts.
Cr Murphy, former councillor Colleen Condliffe and Miki Collins, making her first tilt for elected local government office after previously working in the municipal sphere, have all had listening posts in the Inglewood Ward where last time around, Cr Murphy won by a margin of 43 votes.
Since then, ward boundaries have been redrawn and just over 100 votes in the Bridgewater district moved into Tarnagulla Ward.
With the election being by postal ballot, there is no town breakdown of how people vote. Will that loss of votes from 2020 work in favour of the incumbent? We will probably never know.
There have been challenges in Inglewood Ward over the last four years - some within the remit of council, others not. Delays in repairing the flood-damaged Chamberlains Road bridge saw residents erect protest signs with messages of discontent for council as it battled State Government bureaucracy to have bridge work approved. There was the community anger when wreckers moved into the demolish the old ambulance station. And there has trader anger about permits and compliance around displaying goods on footpaths outside businesses.
During the campaign, candidate flyers have appeared, and disappeared and soon to re-appear, on noticeboards at times with rapid regularity.
The Inglewood Ward trio has also been out doorknocking in their pitch to win over voters. Good comfortable shoes will surely have been worn treading bitumen, concrete and gravel.
Across in Tarnagulla Ward, Cr Jungwirth has campaigned with the teal colours and signs akin to major political parties in the bigger races of democracy.
There’s also been campaign videos with photographs at events, some in the ward and others over in the patches of colleagues or further afield, complete with backing music.
Up against three challengers, the online comments have been interesting for even the casual oberserver.
Nick Angelo, who ran back in 2020 for the same ward, has gone for the grassroots style of campaigning, out talking and listening to people on the ground.
Charmain Sheppard has had, like all the election candidates, a strong print media presence.
And fourth challenger Carly Noble has pointed to past associations with many organisations and those currently on the radar while pitching for the future.
The issues during this campaign have been stock-standard - roads, roads and roads. The water buyback debate has triggered little reaction or comment.
Grand promises there have not been. Many vows to listen in wards that have dragged down the shire’s customer satisfaction rating. The race is heading into the home straight. Days remain for people to cast a vote and decide who will join Cr Gavan Holt, Cr Dan Straub and councillor-elect David Weaver at the council table.