MURRAY River Council residents will head to the polls tomorrow to elect nine representatives in the municipality’s inaugural election.
Five candidates are vying for three positions representing the Greater Wakool Ward.
Voting is compulsory for more than 7900 residents enrolled in the council area, which spans 11,865 square kilometres from Tooleybuc to Moama.
The former Wakool and Murray Shire Councils were amalgamated in May last year by the New South Wales Government, despite widespread opposition to the move.
While the Greater Wakool Ward incorporates the entire former Wakool Shire, including the townships of Barham, Wakool, Moulamein, Murray Downs and Tooleybuc, all but one of the candidates are from Barham.
They include Christine Dartnell, Neil Gorey, Alan Mathers and Katherine O’Brien, while Ann Crowe is from Murray Downs.
Former Wakool mayor Neil Gorey and former councillor Alan Mathers were unsurprising candidates, having already declared their intention to run for election before candidate nominations opened.
Christine Dartnell has previously stood for council, losing to Mr Mathers in a Wakool Shire Council by-election in April last year.
Katherine O’Brien is a new candidate, having moved to Barham in 2013.
Former Wakool Shire mayor Neil Gorey said he would have liked to have seen a better spread of candidates.
“I understand it’s a big task for a large council area for any candidate,” Mr Gorey said.
“It will be a big job.
“I would like to have seen a better spread with good representation for all of the former Wakool shire area.
“It’s certainly a big geographic area; it can be done and will have to be done.”
Mr Gorey said he was disappointed no-one stood from Moulamein and Tooleybuc.
“We at least have Ann Crowe from Murray Downs, so that’s certainly someone from the western area, but it would have been a better look for candidates all around,” he said.
“Whoever gets elected must represent the whole Greater Wakool Ward.”
In the neighbouring Greater Murray Ward there are also five candidates for three positions, including Tony Aquino and Geoff Wise of Moama, Nicole Stenhouse and Tom Weyrich of Mathoura, and John Pocklington of Bunnaloo.
The new council’s remaining three representatives will be elected from the Moama Ward, where candidates include Chris Bilkey, Genevieve Campbell, Nicole Cohen and Geoff Mackenzie — all Moama residents.
All candidates across the three wards have either not declared a party affiliation or are running as independents.
Tomorrow’s election will be the first time since amalgamations that residents have the opportunity to vote for who will represent them on the council.
Council administrator David Shaw and interim general manager Margot Stork have been in charge of the council since May 2016.
Local Government NSW president Keith Rhoades said most NSW councils held their elections in 2016, but elections for the remaining 46 were held over until the amalgamation process was complete, or the decision made that a merger would not proceed.
