After Historic Win, Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore Faces A New Challenge

Clover Moore was re-elected to a historic sixth term as Lord Mayor with a six-point swing against her.  After twenty years in office, Lord Mayor Moore looks set to lose outright control of the City of Sydney Council for the first time.

Early polling results on Saturday night show Clover won 37% of the popular vote. By comparison, the Clover Moore Independent Team has only picked up 32% of the vote, indicating they will likely only win three of the nine remaining spots on Council,

The distribution of preferences will probably do little to increase Team Clover’s vote. In arrangements condemned by Moore and her allies, the other parties did preference deals that recommended votes for each other ahead of Team Clover in order to curb her hold on power. It is unlikely that her Team’s share of the vote will increase after preference distribution.

Moore’s Won’t Be The Deciding Vote

The Lord Mayor is still one of 10 seats on the Council. Based on the current figures, Clover and her team of three will only hold four of the 10 seats on Council, with out gay councillor Adam Worling likely to win the last spot on Clover’s team.

Based on current figures, Clover Moore will lose outright control of Council for the first time since 2004. Until now she has held between five and six seats on Council. When she held five seats she was able to cast the deciding vote to break a tie.

The Lord Mayor has wielded a top-down Presidential managerial style for 20 years. She now faces the challenge of building consensus and collaborating with a range of adversaries who have been cut out of decision-making for many years.

Moore faces a threat to her decision-making authority. No doubt her large Mayoral staff could come under scrutiny. There is little doubt Clover Moore faces a new set of challenges. Voters clearly sent a message that they want consensus and more transparency from the City of Sydney. It is now up to Clover Moore to deliver.