By Harper Pestinger
MARIBYRNONG
A new-look Maribyrnong council shapes as an interesting split, with one independent, three Greens and three Labor-aligned candidates winning their wards.
Six former mayors ran again, but only Cuc Lam was re-elected after convincingly winning Braybrook. Her fellow Labor party members Pradeep Tiwari and Susan Yengi didn’t breathe as easily, but ended up ousting ex-mayors in Bluestone and River wards respectively.
Bernadette Thomas (Sheoak), the second and final re-elected incumbent, will be joined in Green by Samantha Meredith (Saltwater) and Elena Pereyra (Wattle), who scraped to victory by only 109 post-preference votes.
In the eastern Burndap ward, independent and 2023 Young Australian of the Year nominee Mohamed Semra won a tightly fought contest.
BRIMBANK
Brimbank has elected its first Greens councillor for 15 years, with Lucy Nguyen winning the race in Kororoit Creek ward.
In Cherry Creek ward, independent Labor candidate Kim Thien Truong edged out Graeme Blore by just 153 votes after preference distribution. Katharine Nikolic (Delahey ward), Thuy Dang (Grasslands), Daniel Kruk (Harvester) and former mayor Ranka Rasic (Organ Pipes) will join Truong as independent Labor councillors (ALP members whom the party did not officially endorse).
Similarly, independent Liberal incumbent Maria Kerr has claimed Copernicus, while Liberal-turned-independent Joh Bauch won Mount Derrimut.
Duyen Anh Pham, the independent winner in St Albans East, will be back in council after she lost her seat in 2020 despite receiving the most first preference votes.
Incumbent independents Virginia Tachos and Victoria Borg will return to represent Horseshoe Bend and Albanvale respectively.
WYNDHAM
Further west in Wyndham, the new council will have a familiar feel with incumbents winning seven of the eleven wards.
Independents Susan McIntyre (Cheetham) and Jennie Barrera (Heathdale), as well as Liberal-aligned Mia Shaw (Werribee Park) and Labor-aligned Peter Maynard (Quandong) and Josh Gilligan (Wimba), will all return to council as former mayors. Shaw knocked out Heather Marcus, a former councillor of 19 years.
Labor-aligned Robert Szatkowski in Brinbeal and independent Jasmine Hill in Featherbrook round out the re-elected incumbents.
Beating 14 other candidates in Bemin, independent Preet Singh has claimed victory. In another tight race across Sayers Road, independent Larry Zhao won Williams Landing.
Fellow fresh faces Shannon McGuire (Grange) and Maria King (Iramoo) also won their wards as independent candidates.
HOBSONS BAY
In Hobsons Bay, independent candidates also won every seat, with Labor members Rayane Hawli (Altona North) and Paddy Keys-Macpherson (Laverton) the only party-aligned winners.
Diana Grima (Altona Meadows) and Daria Kellander (Altona) were the only incumbents re-elected, both by margins of more than 20 percent.
Kristin Bishop has preferences to thank after receiving just 21 percent of first preference votes but winning Spotswood. There was no such tension for Michael Disbury, who received double the votes of the three other candidates to win Williamstown North.
After coming close in 2020, Lisa Bentley has won Williamstown ward in a two-horse race against Greens candidate Ingrid Magtengaard.
