Faith no more
I FOLLOW Stephanie Asher (pictured) on Twitter.
Her approach always seems to be completely transparent.
This has been a refreshing approach to local government and one that has earned her plenty of votes.
I was pleased when she was elected to City of Greater Geelong council.
I have always seen Cr Asher as a prominent voice for independence.
I thought she stood a good chance of being elected mayor by the councillors.
She had been a candidate for the position twice and clearly her independent status was attractive to the community.
The election of Bruce Harwood was a return to the faces of the past council.
His connection to the previous mayor was evident and it seemed like an opportunity for generational change had been lost.
The people of Geelong wanted to break the Liberal/Labor codification of the council. This was clear in all the reports, the People’s Jury and the submissions to the State Government.
Geelong voters want councillors who put Geelong first and politics second.
Cr Asher has spent a long time marketing herself as a person, not a party.
In the mayoral elections and her tilts at State Government, she has always been a proud independent. This is what identified her as a voice of reason in a murky sea of political self-interest.
When she stood against Richard Marles, she said: “As a true independent, I will make policy decisions and fight for issues based on what the community wants …”
Now, all of that has changed. This week the Geelong Advertiser revealed that Cr Asher is no longer a “true independent”.
Cr Asher is a member of the Liberal Party. This may come as a shock to some of her supporters in Bellarine. But Cr Asher has been a member of that party since the start of the year.
Despite this change in allegiance there has been no update on her Twitter profile, or her local government bio. No press release and no adjustments on local government websites. As portfolio holder for communications, this seems a little odd.
When Cr Asher last stood for council she had not spoken about any plans to jump ship and join the conservatives.
The announcement is going to have an impact on the way this councillor is received in the region and so, for better or worse, on Tuesday Cr Asher took to Twitter and explained her decision: “I always said I’d join a party. I’m still progressive, still an independent thinker. Local government has no place for party politics and nothing changes for me there. But making a difference at state or federal level is incredibly difficult as an independent.” From this, it is clear the councillor is looking to move beyond local government. The portfolio holder for communications is now hoping to join the ranks of Cr Ron Nelson and former councillor Andy Richards. Remember the last state election? Those guys brought politics into the chamber and then some.
The prominent Liberal/ Labor councillors took leave to wander the countryside in search of greater career opportunities. Neither was successful. Let’s not go back to that era again, please.
The best time to join the majors is when you have left the job you were elected to do.
Cr Asher sold her brand as being outside the mainstream, as “running your own race”.
She communicated an image to the voting public that was attractive because it was not political.
From here on in, the Geelong public will have every reason to view each vote with the understanding that this councillor is a paid up member of a party.
We know now that Cr Asher has thrown her lot in with Peter Dutton and Tony Abbott.
Like the former prime minister she reserves the right to be an independent thinker in the chamber, but this is the party that got elected on the slogan; “Stop the Boats” not “Start your brain”.
Joining the Liberal Party midway through a term as an elected independent may change nothing for Stephanie Asher, but it changes the perception of transparency. We’re not going to have a by-election, but there will be people feeling like they have lost their representative in
Gheringhap St.