I AM READY TO GO AGAIN

SACKED MAYOR’S DEFIANT VOW

THE two mayoral candidates for the council that was marred by dysfunction and infighting in the past three years have vowed to put the past behind them for the good of the Glenorchy community.

When the last ballot paper is lodged with the Tasmanian Electoral Commission at 10am on Tuesday, it will herald a new beginning for the Glenorchy City Council and a community that has watched a council tear itself apart.

But the two candidates vying for the top job in the election — held nine months before the state’s other councils go to the polls — former mayor Kristie Johnston and exalderman Steven King say the future can be bright for Glenorchy and Tuesday is where it begins.

“The community wants a fresh start, they want the basics done,” Ms Johnston said.

Mr King said this could be done if the new council worked together.

“I want to get the team feeling back into the council,” he said.

After what has transpired since late 2014, to say this is the most important election in the recent history of Glenorchy is quite an understatement.

The damning Board of Inquiry report painted a scathing picture of what has happened at the council since the election — as rivalry, spite and, in many cases, self-interest ahead of the benefit to the community — tore apart one of the state’s biggest councils, forced State Government intervention and ruined the faith the ratepayers had in many of their representatives.

While it will take a long time to restore the council to its former glory — in 1998, an independent national survey of councils had Glenorchy in second place when it came to ratepayer satisfaction — the community have the chance to have their say and vote in the representatives they want.

The level of interest has seen voters yesterday pass the 2014 final participation rate of 47.77 per cent to reach 47.81 per cent, with the Tasmanian Electoral Commission saying it believes the electors could crack the 50 per cent mark.

But there is a chance ratepayers return the bulk of the previous administration — that simply could not put their differences aside despite pleas from the community and warnings from the State Government.

At the most, six of the sacked aldermen — Ms Johnston, Mr King, ex-deputy mayor Harry Quick and former aldermen Matt Stevenson, Jenny Branch-Allen and Jan Dunsby — may return for another term.

As the only two to put their hands up for the top job, either Ms Johnston or Mr King will be mayor, a rematch of sorts from the 2014 election in which Ms Johnston claimed 58 per cent of the first preference votes.

But despite Ms Johnston’s big win last time, Mr King — the director of a appliance and furniture rental company — said he provided a genuine alternative to her.

“I thought that people needed a choice, there wasn’t any otherwise,” Mr King said.

“I have got team-building experience and management skills that can be used.”

Of the remaining former aldermen, only Ms Dunsby is not running for the deputy mayor position.

While for many of the candidates, the wounds and slights of the past largely remain — and it would be surprising if they didn’t — they believe the council can move forward.

Ms Johnston said the way to do this was by restoring transparency to the council. “I’m not going to promise any major projects or anything like that,” she said.

“Our budget situation is in a dire situation. We can’t agree to make these promises until we sort that mess out.”

Mr King also said they needed to address the budget, but had a different plan.

“I want to get more Federal Government funding back into Glenorchy by working with Harry Quick to use his federal contacts,” he said yesterday.

In the wake of Mr Gutwein calling the fresh election, Ms Johnston — who ran a ticket at the 2014 election — has put forward a 10-strong “Team Kristie” with Mr Stevenson as her deputy and Ms Dunsby also a member.

“It’s about providing an alternative to what was there before, about the unethical and unprofessional behaviour we have seen in the past,” she said.

“We have made it clear that every team member is independent.”

But just how popular this is with the Glenorchy ratepayers will be known next week. Mr King said he had been told by residents that they didn’t want an entire ticket making up the council — no matter how independent they said they were.

Despite the remaining tension between the two camps, after the previous 3½ years both sides have said they will work with their counterparts.

“I’m absolutely committed to working with every member regardless of who they are, but the principles of transparency are vital ... they must commit to them,” Ms Johnston said.

Mr King said he, Ms BranchAllen and Mr Quick would work with their former colleagues but everyone needed to be on the same page.

“We [him, Ms Branch-Allen and Mr Quick] are prepared to work with anyone as long as they are prepared to work for the people,” he said.

“If by some chance we all get re-elected we are all willing to work together.”

The community wants a fresh start, they want the basics done

KRISTIE JOHNSTON

I want to get the team feeling back into the council

STEVEN KING