It took 56 rounds of counting and just 13 votes separated the last elected candidate John Rooney from his closest opponent and fellow former councillor, Adaminaby’s Lynley Miners, but the Snowy Monaro local council election results are finally in.
With a total 60 grouped and individual candidates fronting for the 14 September NSW local government elections, just who will form the 11-person council has been the trending topic across the region for weeks.
The answer is there is a lot of old and a bit of new, starting with the more seasoned local government faces making a return to the council chamber in Group A’s leader Colinton resident and former councillor Luke Williamson as well as Cooma’s Christopher Hanna and Binjura local Tricia Hopkins, who were allied in Group C.
The Labor-dominated Group E also had success at the polls retaining two seats at the table for Tanya Higgins (Michelago) and Lynda Summers (Cooma) with Group H’s Bob Stewart, a former Bombala mayor, also being returned as well as the aforementioned former Snowy Monaro mayor John Rooney, who led Group G and standalone candidate Narelle Davis.
The new kids on the block include Nimmitabel’s Andrew Thaler, who led Group B, as well as Reuben Rose of Beloka who led Group F.
They will be joined by Jindabyne’s Nick Elliott, who ran with Bob Stewart in Group H.
Councillors will be sworn in and the new mayor and deputy mayor of Snowy Monaro Regional Council will be elected at the next ordinary meeting of the council at 1 pm on Thursday 10 October at Cooma Council Chambers.