Mid West Gascoyne council election results: Mix of existing councillors and newcomers voted in

Former State MP Merome Beard has returned to public life seven months after voters ousted her from State Parliament, after winning the popular vote in the Shire of Carnarvon election.

Ms Beard secured 39 per cent of the votes in the Town ward, ahead of Luke Skender, who both locked in four-year terms, while third-placed existing councillor Dudley Maslen was elected to a two-year term. Fellow existing councillor Marco Ferreirinha was re-elected to a four-year term in the Plantation ward.

Ms Beard, a local publican, will again represent her community after she lost the Mid-West seat to Nationals WA leader Shane Love at the March State election after both their electorates were merged.

Across the Mid West and Gascoyne council races, voter turnout ranged from as low as 27.66 per cent in Carnarvon’s Town ward to 44.4 per cent in the Shire of Perenjori — with a strong flavour of successful female candidates.

Shire presidents Nicole Batten, in Chapman Valley, and Jim McGorman, in Mt Magnet, were re-elected, but councillors will be required to vote in the president.

In total, 18 existing councillors were re-elected, 20 newcomers won a council seat, while four councillors seeking another term failed in their bid — Judy Holden (Meekatharra), Catherine Jones (Mt Magnet), Mira Vankova (Shark Bay) and David Lefroy (Sandstone).

Twenty out of 42 seats in the Mid West and Gascoyne were filled by female candidates.

Cr Batten said she was glad the Shire of Chapman Valley had “finally got a full contingent of councillors”, while confirming she would be putting her hand up to again be shire president. Councillors Liz Eliott-Lockhart and Emma Rodney were re-elected as well as newcomer Peter Humphrey.

“We had a vacant position for six or seven months . . . so it’s great to finally have full representation on council,” Cr Batten said.

“With small numbers it makes the workload a little bit more when you’ve got one less person to share the load.

“The most important thing is that we all work together as a team and be united together, because we don’t have wards in the Shire of Chapman Valley, so we need to be across the whole shire.”

Young blood has been injected into the Shire of Perenjori with the election of 26-year-old candidate Dakota Curtin, who was the No.1 vote-getter.

Ms Curtin said she was delighted with her last-minute decision to run, and the result.

“I was probably more shocked than anything, I was hoping that I would get in, but I was really quite shocked with the amount of support,” she said.

“I just want to keep Perenjori great. I think we have such a great community and a really awesome little country town, I just want to make to make it better.”

Ms Curtin, who works for a haulage company, said younger people should seriously consider putting their hands up to represent the community and “just give it a go”.

Registered nurse and volunteer emergency medical technician with St John WA, 34-year-old Sophie Hansen, was elected to the Irwin Shire council.

“It’s great to see so many community members actually voting this year and supporting new and upcoming people into the council,” she said.

“(It’s my) first ever attempt at local government. My plan all along has been about emergency services, young families and supporting the community that way.”

Shire of Dandaragan re-elected councillor Graham Lethlean said he was “humbled to get first past the post again”.

“For the first time, I think in the shire’s history, we have more ladies on than men. There are four ladies on the council now and three men, so that’s pretty significant,” he said.

Cr Lethlean wanted to see renewable energy companies “pay their way and give back to the community”.

In the Greater Geraldton council race, former mayor Shane Van Styn finished well ahead with 34 per cent of the vote, elected back on to council along with Natasha Colliver, Tim Milnes and Serena Giudice.

The voter turnout in Greater Geraldton of 31.6 per cent was the highest participation rate in the city for a non-mayoral election. It was up on the Statewide voter turnout average of 29.7 per cent.

MID WEST & GASCOYNE COUNCIL ELECTION RESULTS

City of Greater Geraldton: Shane Van Styn, Natasha Colliver, Tim Milnes and Serena Giudice

Shire of Carnarvon: Plantation ward: Marco Ferreirinha, Town ward: Merome Beard, Luke Skender and Dudley Maslen

Shire of Chapman Valley: Nicole Batten, Liz Elliot-Lockhart, Emma Rodney and Peter Humphrey

Shire of Dandaragan: Graham Lethlean, Susan Johnson, Rose Glasfurd and Stephanie Krakowiak

Shire of Exmouth: Amanda Kailis, Jacqueline Hine, Jackie Brooks, Matthew Thorburn and Gary Mounsey

Shire of Irwin: Isabelle Scott, Lesley Berecz, Sophie Hansen and Luke Musulin

Shire of Meekatharra: Adrian Moses, Maurice Anderson and Matthew Hall

Shire of Mt Magnet: Jim McGorman, Jorgen Jensen, Mick Madden, Jason Homewood and Cecilia Kelly

Shire of Perenjori: Dakota Curtin, Les Hepworth and Roger Dring

Shire of Sandstone: Caroleann Hodshon, Jamie Turner and Stephanie Brown

Shire of Shark Bay: Ed Fenny, Laurence Bellottie and Angela Johns