8am – Election underway
Today is the day many say democracy will return to Cootamundra with residents voting in a new council after the last council was dismissed and Cootamundra Shire Council forcibly amalgamated with Gundagai Shire Council.
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Since the amalgamation, the new council has been in the hands of an administrator; initially Christine Ferguson, then Stephen Sykes when Mrs Ferguson stepped down from the role.
Today, a steady stream of voters is making their way through polling booths at Cootamundra Public School and Cootamundra High School, as well as in Stockinbingal and across the former Gundagai Shire.
Thousands of residents have already pre-polled with the Herald hearing up to 1000 people voted yesterday alone.
There was also in excess of 400 people who pre-polled on Thursday, two days before the actual election day and more than 500 between the two days prior.
Voters have no shortage of candidates to turn to for future representation with 28 names listed consisting of three groups and 11 individual candidates.
Names include:
Group A – Abb McAlister, David Graham, Peter Gain, Penny Nicholson and Amy Turner
Group B – Dennis Palmer, Ron Magnone, Rosalind Wight, Diane Williams, Michael Kingwill, Jennie Maslin and Peter Batey
Group C – Doug Phillips, Craig Stewart, Stephen Doidge, Janet McAtear and Ian Armstrong
Individuals – James Slattery, Leigh Bowden, Konrad Streher, Mary Donnelly, James Childs, Charlie Sheahan, Gil Kelly, Isabel Scott, David Harris, Roderick Chalmers and John Stephens.
Polling booths will remain open until 6pm this evening with results available after 6pm this evening on the NSWEC website www.votensw.info.
It is anticipated that all counts will be completed and results declared by the close of business Saturday, September 16.
12noon – Active P&C makes the most of election day
A cake stall in synonymous with election day and Cootamundra schools have not disappointed those punters who remembered to bring their wallets in.
Both Cootamundra Public School and Cootamundra High School began their day with well-stocked tables of cakes, tarts, even soup as they looked to cash in on the steady stream of people making their way through the school grounds to cast their vote.
2.30pm – First-time voter undaunted by political process
Having turned 18 in January, Georgia Stephenson waited nearly eight months for her first look at a ballot paper.
Attending Cootamundra Public School, her former alma mater, to vote with parents Lyn and Tony, Georgia made her way through the throng of candidates and helpers handing out How to Vote cards.
She was excited by the prospect of voting for the first time; a right of passage into adulthood for young people.
“It’s good that people my age get to have a say on what happens in the area we live in,” Georgia said.
She works as an apprentice mechanic at a Cootamundra-based workshop and said she had been paying some attention to who was running in the biggest local election in recent memory as she wanted to be informed when the time came to have her say.
6pm – Polls have closed, your votes are in
Cootamundra-Gundagai residents have had their say on the incoming council with polls now closed.
Results will be available after 6pm this evening on the NSW Electoral Commission website www.votensw.info.
The NSW Electoral Commission advises that counting may not be complete until next Saturday, September 16 with a final result available after that.
Watch the Cootamundra Herald for updates as counting continues.
Sunday, September 10
9am – Former mayors lead early vote count
Counting is underway in the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council election with past Gundagai mayor Abb McAlister leading the early race with 806 votes out of the 3,972 already counted (as of 9am Sunday).
A total of 395 of these votes came from the polling booth at Gundagai High School, while he gathered a further 211 votes at Gundagai South Primary School and 37 in Coolac.
Doug Phillips, a former Cootamundra Shire Council mayor, is running next with 283 votes.
Independent candidate Gil Kelly has proved popular with 212 first preference votes.
This election was the first time at Local Government level, residents had the option of voting above or below the line, with only a small percentage of voters choosing to have their say this way.
A mixed group from towns and villages across the entire region, Group B, has 303 votes, while a Cootamundra-based group headed by Mr Phillips has 339 votes.
Early figures:
Group A
Abb McAlister: 806
David Graham: 187
Peter Gain: 46
Penny Nicholson: 178
Amy Turner: 171
Group B: (above the line) 303
Dennis Palmer: 71
Ron Magnone: 11
Rosalind Wight: 22
Diane Williams: 30
Michael Kingwill: 39
Jennie Maslin: 31
Peter Batey: 12
Group C: (above the line) 339
Doug Phillips: 283
Craig Stewart: 87
Stephen Doidge: 25
Janet McAtear: 22
Ian Armstrong: 25
Individuals
James Slattery: 49
Leigh Bowden: 65
Konrad Streher: 106
Mary Donnelly: 20
James Childs: 79
Charlie Sheahan: 144
Gil Kelly: 212
Isabel Scott: 93
David Harris: 65
Roderick Chalmers: 23
John Stephens: 79
To date 349 informal votes have been counted.
Counting is expected to take days more as preferences are taken into consideration.
The NSW Electoral Commission advises a final field of nine councillors to move the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council may not be available until next Saturday, September 16.
- More election coverage to come.
