Candidates finalised for September council poll
Posted
A lack of candidates means a general election will not be held in the Wellington, Warren or Bland shires next month.
More than 400 people from Lithgow to Bourke have nominated to contest the local council elections, but only seven people have nominated for the nine positions on the Wellington council.
That means they will all become councillors and it is likely a by-election will be held in three months to fill the other vacancies.
Almost 50 candidates are vying to become Mid Western Regional councillors.
That is more than double the number of candidates at the last election, which a former mayor of the Mudgee Shire, Dennis Yeo, says is "remarkable".
"While I can't speak on behalf of the candidates, you'd have to draw from that that there's a significant level of dissatisfaction with the current council," he said.
At least four of the region's mayors have decided to exit politics, including Bourke's Wayne O'Mally.
Another is Paul Stephenson, who has been a councillor in the Goulburn-Mulwaree area for the past 16 years.
"That's a fairly big commitment out of your life, as I said to some other people yesterday if I stood for another four year term that would make me 69, you're getting closer to that big hole in the ground," he said.
