Council poll’s Green team
Party unveils candidates
THE Greens have finalised their four candidates for the Geelong council election.
The party will contest every ward at October’s poll, as it aims to secure its first Greens councillor in Geelong.
After success in Ballarat and Bendigo, the Greens believe the return to a multi-councillor ward system provides them with their best chance next month.
Stephen McGain (Bellarine) and Greg Lacey (Windermere) were unveiled as candidates at the party’s official campaign launch on Saturday.
They joined Sarah Mansfield (Brownbill) and Lois Newman (Kardinia) as endorsed candidates for the election.
Mr McGain would be familiar to Queenscliff residents, standing for the Borough at last year’s election where he received just 4.85 per cent of the primary vote.
Mr Lacey has run multiple campaigns, finishing in the bottom half of the large 16candidate field at the 2013 mayoral by-election.
He previously stood in the north for the 2013 federal election for Corio, where he gained a relatively strong 7.3 per cent of the primary vote.
The Greens are standing on an election platform of finishing the Green Spine project, addressing climate change, protecting the city’s environmental assets, retaining local libraries and increasing cycling and walking routes.
They fielded eight candidates in separate contests at the 2012 Geelong election, but none of them were elected.