Lord Mayoral candidates assess their chances
Voting is just hours from closing in this year’s council elections.
It’s too late now to send in votes by post – last minute voters must get their ballots to local council buildings before 5pm if they want to have their say.
Every council in South Australia will be phoning the Electoral Commission throughout the day with updated voting figures as ballots are rushed in.
Just under 29 per cent of eligible voters have had their ballots processed so far.
The soft numbers prompted calls this week for compulsory voting and same-day state elections.
Electoral Commissioner Kay Mousley said Adelaide should know the result of the Lord Mayoral race by late Saturday or early Sunday.
Lord Mayoral candidates expressed varying levels of confidence about their chances in the poll.
Incumbent Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood said he was “in with a chance” but did not want to second-guess the community’s decision.
“I’ve given it my best over four years, I’ve done 650km of door-knocking, I’ve got a track record of working as a team to facilitate outcomes,” he said.
“I think this campaign has shown that a lot of people have greater expectations of the Lord Mayor than the position actually has.
“There has been tens of millions of dollars of promises made and I think that misses the point.”
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He said that any Lord Mayor must work with other councillors, the State Government and the business community to have an influence.
“Council can play a small but important role in transitioning from an old economy to a new economy,” he said.
Yarwood said the legacy of his first term in office included capital works such as the renovated Victoria Square and Rundle Mall, experimenting with pop-ups and food vans in the city, the AdelaideFree WiFi network and the council’s work with placemaking.
He said that if he were to be successful in retaining the job, trees and technology in the city will be on the top of his agenda in his second term.
“If not elected, I’m going to take some time out and spend some much-needed time with my family.”
Lord Mayoral candidate Mark Hamilton said he felt “optimistic, but not confident” about his prospects.
“There are four credible candidates that have all been out there working hard, so there’s no room for any confidence, I can tell you,” he said.
“I’m not saying that (fellow Lord Mayoral candidate) Kelly Henderson is not credible; I’m saying that there are four credible candidates who have been working for at least six months … I’m just saying that it would be a big ask from joining in mid-September.”
Later today, Henderson asked Hamilton to apologise for his comments and retract his statements about her.
“He should apologise and retract forthwith,” she said.
“He is well-aware that I have a great deal of experience with Adelaide City Council.”
Hamilton said that if elected, his foremost priorities would be to review the need for a separated bikeway on Frome Street, and to re-assess the relationship between city councillors and council administration.
Council administration came under fire this week for its behaviour during the election campaign.
“The council needs to re-establish its authority in terms of running the city,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton plans to spend “a week or 10 days lying outside under a tree in Port Douglas” if he is unsuccessful.
Henderson told InDaily that “every candidate is in with a chance, but with the number of candidates running … it’s very hard to tell what the outcome would be”.
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“I’m pleased with the amount of support I’ve received … and I hope that I’ve already been able to help people,” she said.
Henderson said her first priorities in office would be to address the concerns with voters while door-knocking the city.
“There are a lot of unmet needs in the community and across the whole city,” she said.
Henderson said she would move quickly to fix problems, “like childcare workers, teachers, nurses and businesses not receiving equitable treatment in parking issues (and) people who are attending family members who are dying in palliative care who are receiving council parking tickets.”
“Another high priority will be rectifying the damage to the city’s standing as a historical and cultural site,” she said.
Lord Mayoral candidate Martin Haese said he believed no candidate would be able to win the job on first preferences.
“It’s hard to pick (but) I’m up there, I have some confidence that I’m certainly up there,” he said.
“If Central Ward mobilises, I’ve probably got a better chance; If Central Ward doesn’t mobilise, it’s probably going to be more difficult.
“Whoever wins on Saturday will be deserving, because it’s a huge undertaking.”
InDaily contacted Lord Mayoral candidate Michael Henningsen for this story, but he did not respond.
The 2014 campaign has been dogged by accusations of “dirty tricks” by Lord Mayoral candidates and their election teams.
Last month, Haese and Hamilton both complained that many of their election posters had been stolen.
Hamilton was accused of breaching the Local Government (Elections) Act for not printing his election posters correctly.
Both Yarwood and Haese told InDaily they were disappointed that the Lord Mayoral race had at some points degenerated into personal attacks.
“I’ve worked very hard to focus on policy and leadership values, and I made a commitment to not talk about the other candidates (during the campaign),” Yarwood said.
“It shouldn’t be about attacking other candidates.
“I’m a little disappointed other campaign material made reference to me.”
Haese said he had not expected some of the personal attacks he received from other candidates.
“You’ve got to play the ball and not the man” he said.
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