Tony O’Grady (left), Mark Dal Bon (centre) and Scott Groat are three new faces on Griffith City Council. Photos: Supplied.
Griffith City Council has been transformed by the results of the local government elections – with three newcomers elected and five existing councillors failing to retain their positions.
Doug Curran has been re-elected Mayor, narrowly beating competitor Anne Napoli, who was nevertheless re-elected as a councillor. Christine Stead, Laurie Testoni, Shari Blumer and Jenny Ellis were also re-elected, while Tony O’Grady, Mark Dal Bon and Scott Groat will represent Griffith in local government for the first time.
Glen Andreazza, Chris Sutton, Mel Marin, Dino Zappacosta and Manjit Singh Lally all failed to get re-elected, while Simon Croce retired from the council without contesting the September 2024 poll.
The overall number of councillors in Griffith has been reduced from 12 to nine in a local government body that will look vastly different from what we have seen over the past four years.
The three new councillors to win election have all done so against the odds, being in unfavourable positions on the ballot paper. Council elections tend to favour those who are on the top spot of group voting tickets – but Mr Groat was ungrouped, while Mr Dal Bon and Tharbogang Store owner Mr O’Grady were in lowly third spot on their ticket.
“I think I was in a really tough spot, the people that have voted for me have had to look hard to find me on the ballot,” Mr O’Grady said.
“The odds were stacked against me but I’m so pleased to get in.
“I’m hoping all nine of us can work as a team and keep the city moving forward.”
Mr Groat, a farmer, said he was excited about taking up his new role.
“I’m very excited; I’m pretty sure that this council needs some change … [my] top priority is to get the council as a team rather than factions,” he said.
The September election appears to have shifted the power balance between the council’s two so-called factions.
On the previous council, a majority of seven councillors voted in favour of a Special Rate Variation (SRV), which substantially increased rates above standard annual rises. This group of seven tended to vote together on other issues, such as removing animals from Lake Wyangan.
A renegade faction of five councillors voted against the majority on both these issues.
On the newly elected council, a majority of five of the nine councillors have spoken out against the SRV – Ms Napoli, Ms Stead and the three newcomers.
It remains to be seen, though, whether factional divisions will persist during the next council. Mayor Doug Curran has expressed his desire for the new council to work as a team, as have Messrs O’Grady and Groat.
There was a high number of informal votes – 1704 or more than 11 per cent of all ballots cast – suggesting a number of people struggled to understand a complex electoral system.
Full results of the mayoral and council elections can be found on the NSW Electoral Commission website.
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