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).
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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.
