Lyons has got my vote
Another high flyer says:
A PROMINENT politician with family links to the Liberal Party is backing independent Darryn Lyons in the seat of Geelong.
City Hall councillor Eddy Kontelj — an ex-colleague and long-time friend of the former mayor — has thrown his support behind Mr Lyons ahead of next month’s state election.
A sign encouraging locals to vote for Mr Lyons has been erected on Cr Kontelj’s Geelong home, which doubles as a Slovenian consulate.
Although Cr Kontelj said the sign had been placed there by his wife, he said he had no issue with it and that he was willing to help Mr Lyons in his run for Parliament.
“Personally, I feel it’s very important that the people of Geelong have options, and I think Darryn provides a very good option for the electorate of Geelong,” he said.
Cr Kontelj has strong links to the Liberal Party through his family.
His brother, Stretch, and sister-in-law Paula Kontelj have been Liberal candidates at state and federal elections.
Meanwhile, ahead of local government elections last year, Cr Kontelj had a preference deal with Freya Fidge, who is now the Liberal-endorsed candidate in Geelong.
Despite the connections, Cr Kontelj yesterday played down its significance.
“As for my links to the Liberal Party, I’ve always said that I’ve never been a party mem- ber, and in fact I’m not a member of any party,” he said.
“But I’ll support my brother and sister-in-law in whatever they do, whether it’s for Liberal or Labor.”
His support for Mr Lyons comes after the Addy revealed former Geelong 500 Club trea- surer Mike Deam was heavily involved in the former paparazzi boss’s electoral campaign.
Mr Lyons is also a former member of the Liberal Party.
Cr Kontelj said he had not directly helped Mr Lyons but was “more than happy” to lend support if asked.
“I think Darryn’s a very strong candidate and he’s certainly going to give all contenders in that area a real run at it,” he said.
“Despite what some might think, I think he did a really good job while he was the mayor.”