By LIAM DURKIN
THE people have spoken.
Latrobe City Council will be a mix of old and new for the next council term.
The new council was officially sworn in on Monday. Four incumbents retained their position, while five fresh faces join the new nine single-ward structure.
The number four carries particular gravitas, as incredibly, that was the number of votes that determined the fates of long-time councillor Graeme Middlemiss, and challenger Steph Morgan in the Yallourn Ward.
Councillor-elect Morgan won with 2027 first preference votes, ahead of Mr Middlemiss on 2023 – making for a percentage difference of just 0.1, enough to get Ms Morgan over the 50 per cent margin required.
The Victorian Electoral Commission recounted Yallourn Ward votes last Thursday.
For Mr Middlemiss, who has served on every council since 1997, his local political career came to an end in the most brutal fashion imaginable.
He had been on council longer than roughly 40 per cent of the local population have even been alive.
The result may point to an appetite for change, as the battle between the youthful Ms Morgan and an ageing Mr Middlemiss was largely seen as a decision between past and present.
That said, in a count decided by literally four votes, there is little doubt luck played a part.
As Mr Middlemiss departs, so too does nearly 30 years’ experience.
His council colleague Sharon Gibson, who was elected unopposed and is now suddenly the most experienced councillor, wished to pay tribute to Mr Middlemiss, saying he was the voice of reason in the chamber.
“His wisdom and knowledge I will dearly miss,” she said.
Another long-serving councillor has also been forced to fall on their sword, with former mayor Kellie O’Callaghan losing the Boola Boola Ward to David Barnes.
Ms O’Callaghan served four consecutive terms since winning election in 2008, but won just 41.79 per cent of the two-horse race this time around.
Ever gracious, Ms O’Callaghan sent her best wishes to the incoming council.
“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to serve our local community and to have had the chance to share in your experiences, celebrations and shared challenges,” she posted.
“Thank you to those who have offered support and encouragement.
“I wish the incoming council well and thank the council officers for their professionalism, commitment to our community and preparedness to be determined to provide trusted guidance and support.”
Ms O’Callaghan appears to have adopted a ‘life goes on’ approach in the wake of her loss.
In the four days since the result was obvious, she made three community campaign posts not related to council on her LinkedIn.
Given her heavy involvement in a number of local initiatives, and appearance on seemingly every board and committee in Latrobe, it is likely Ms O’Callaghan will still be a prominent figure in the region – just minus the councillor tag.
Ms O’Callaghan and Mr Middlemiss join Brad Law and Dan Clancey as non-returning councillors, after the latter two ruled themselves out of the race.
Returning to council will be Ms Gibson in the Newborough Ward, along with Darren Howe (Tyers Ward), Tracie Lund (Morwell River) and Dale Harriman (Loy Yang).
Three of the four have all previously served as mayor.
Mr Harriman has served on council since 2008, coming on at the same time as Ms O’Callaghan.
Ironically, current mayor Mr Howe faced a nervous count against challenger David Little, edging ahead by just over six per cent.
Mr Howe’s deputy Ms Lund also only attracted barely 50 per cent of first preferences, although admittedly she was up against two opponents in Dorothy Long and John Ellingham.
Granted there is generally hostility toward those at the top (as voter turnout for Kamala Harris proved), the statistics could also indicate voter confidence is waning, and more importantly, that no council position should ever be taken for granted.
While the US didn’t get a rematch, the Budgeree Ward did.
The showdown between Leanne Potter and Melissa Ferguson turned into a no-show from Ms Ferguson, who lost her position on council after attracting just 33.71 per cent of the vote.
Ms Ferguson had initially decided to step down, before backtracking as the registration deadline loomed closer.
Like Harris, Ms Ferguson might have left her run too late, although by the same token, people in the Budgeree Ward would have known what they were voting for, much like the incoming US President.
Ms Ferguson defeated career councillor Darrell White in the 2020 election, a result seen as the local equivalent of Scott Morrison’s miracle 2019 federal election triumph.
Similar to ScoMo, such an effort might have meant she was long odds to win again.
Not far from Budgeree, the Jeeralang Ward was always going to have a new councillor.
Joanne Campbell (44.69 per cent) got the nod in a competitive preference race against Peter Duncan (40.82); the pair well ahead of Alex Maidana on 14.49.
Ms Campbell will be a familiar name to many locals, having been one of the main advocates for the Gippsland Regional Aquatic Centre, Traralgon.
The Moe Ward was won by Adele Pugsley, who gained 61.77 per cent of the vote from Guss Lambden.
Ms Pugsley comes in as something of an unknown quantity, although she is the recipient of a business award from Moe Rotary.
Ms Gibson took to the lectern at Monday’s declaration, saying the incoming council had a responsibility to the people of Latrobe City.
“We really need to turn our Valley around,” she said.
“We can’t play games, there is so much at stake.”
STAYING with politics, attention now turns to the federal election.
An election is expected to be called for May next year, and candidates are already campaigning to win seats.
While the federal seat of Gippsland, regarded as one of the safest in the country, will likely be a mere formality for incumbent Nationals MP Darren Chester, the seat of Monash could well and truly be up for grabs.
Historically a safe Liberal seat, the dynamic changed at the last election when incumbent Russell Broadbent lost his majority.
Seizing the opportunity is South Gippsland lawyer, Deb Leonard, who is running as an independent.
Ms Leonard launched her campaign in Leongatha last week, where she declared a political analysis had said the seat of Monash was genuinely winnable for an independent.
Ms Leonard can expect tough competition from Liberal candidate Mary Aldred, who is generally perceived as carrying very strong political accumin.
The Monash game has changed even more now that Moe (traditional Labor territory) is part of the electorate.
Moe’s Labor values are reflected in the attitudes of most long-term residents, and a quick drive through town will find many cars sporting trade union stickers.
The political divide exists just down the road in Morwell, where historically, some locals have been perceived to be sympathetic to the ultra-conservative views of the National Civic Council.
Those belonging to that group have hence been referred to as “groupers” by Moe people, which is where the term originates.
