Barham has major lead; Dowell bucks anti-Labor sentiment

September 14, 2008

Byron Shire Council’s Greens mayor Jan Barham (pictured) looks like being re-elected in a massive show of support, while Lismore’s Jenny Dowell has bucked a predicted anti-Labor vote by leading the race to be the city’s first popularly elected mayor.

Elsewhere, Ballina Shire’s Phillip Silver leads the race to be mayor, Col Sullivan looks like ousting Charlie Cox as Richmond Valley mayor, Cr Richie Williamson dominates the Clarence Valley count, former rugby league star John O’Reilly leads the count in Kyogle, and in Tweed Shire, which is holding its first election since the previous council was sacked in 2005, independent candidate Dot Holdom has emerged as the top-polling candidate. For all results, visit the NSW Electoral Commision website.

There were seven candidates for mayor in Byron Shire, where Jan Barham garnered massive support, polling 6412 votes at Sunday’s first count — 50 per cent of total.

She leads her nearest challenger, Ross Tucker, by almost 3000 votes. Cr Tucker polled 3559 votes.

In Lismore, Jenny Dowell was one of the few declared party candidates in a nine-person field for mayor. Running as Country Labor, it was thought that the turmoil in NSW State Labor’s ranks might affect her vote.

However, Cr Dowell leads the count with 5759, ahead of Cr John Chant (4001) and indepedent candidate Neil Marks (3484), whose role as a radio announcer came under scrutiny in the election lead-up.

Byron’s Jan Barham unsuccessfully contested the State seat of Ballina for the Greens in 2003 but created political history by becoming the first popularly-elected female Greens mayor in Australia.

Trained as a fashion designer, Jan Barham worked in fashion and clothing fields from 1987 to 1995.

In 1995 she was appointed Parliamentary adviser and researcher to Ian Cohen, MLC, a job she held until 1999 when elected to council.

Jenny Dowell moved to Lismore in 1991 with husband Ron and children Georgie and Tim after a career as a teacher of deaf children and a lecturer in special education in Victorian universities.

She worked part-time in Lismore schools as an itinerant teacher for children with conductive hearing loss until her retirement at the end of 2005.

In Ballina Shire, Mayor Silver faced a field of four opponents. Sitting councillor Sharon Cadwallader was seen as his biggest threat, and that’s the way it’s panning out.

Cr Silver polled 6404 votes, with Cr Cadwallader next on 5455.

A Ballina Shire referendum to decrease the number of councillors per ward from three to two was narrowly defeated.

In Richmond Valley Shire, former mayor Col Sullivan should regain the job. He polled 3422 votes, ahead of incumbent mayor Charlie Cox (2244).

A big performer in the shire was Donella Kinnish, having her first tilt at election.

Mrs Kinnish topped Cr Cox’s mayoral vote with 2732, but it still wasn’t enough to beat Cr Sullivan.

Mrs Kinnish grew up in Evans Head and returned to the area in 2007. She has been a prominent member of the Evans Head Ratepayers Association.

In Tweed Shire, the council has been run by an administrator since 2005. Leading vote-getter Dot Holdom (1315) is a former independent councillor. She runs a cafe in Kingscliff.

Warren Polglase, who was mayor when the council was sacked, polled strongly, gaining 694 votes.

In the Clarence region, independent candidate Richie Williamson, a sitting councillor, polled 20 per cent of the vote, with 4484, well ahead of incumbent mayor Ian Tiley (2081).

Final results should be known later this week.

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