Bitter aftertaste to Waverley elections

Both sides of Waverley politics have launched accusations of unruly and aggressive behaviour at the recent Council elections.

In what appears to be a bitter period entering this week’s Mayoral elections, re-elected Independent Miriam Guttman-Jones said she was the victim of Labor harrassment at pre-polling.

“When I was walking to someone from Hunter Ward saying they should vote for me, [a Labor volunteer] walked away and said loudly: ‘This is a counter independent’,” she said.

“When I finished with the people, I went up to her and confronted her. She said said ‘you’re not a real independent’. Then when I asked her why, she said ‘because you’re campaigning for the Liberals and exchanging preferences’.”

Waverley Mayor John Wakefield maintained he did not know the volunteer in question. But Ms Guttman-Jones said the Labor volunteer and Mr Wakefield continued to harrass her after the heated exchange.

“She was really trying to get into my face. As soon as she saw the Liberal helpers, she was making really nasty comments about the Liberals and Liberal policy. I just said ‘I don’t want to talk to you, just leave me alone’.”

“That’s when she got on the phone to Paul Pearce and then he turned up, and then 15 minutes later John Wakefield turned up and he attacked me.”

“He went on about the posters. A Council worker had removed some of my posters and Council had offered to replace. He [Mr Wakefield] said: ‘I’ve just signed off on Council replacing your posters and why do we have to do that?

“Whenever he turned up at pre-polling, he was always very aggressive with me. I think it’s because he knew I wouldn’t support him for the Mayoralty.”

Mr Wakefield rejected the claims Labor had behaved in unrurely behaviour, and accused Ms Guttman-Jones of bias towards the Liberals.

“If Guttman-Jones is going to go down this route, I find her position on this quite offensive,” he said. “The woman has Liberal Party members handing out ‘how-to-votes’ for her, exhanging T-shirts between Liberal and her candidates, and attends the same events with them, including attending Liberal Party events when the Premier comes.

“I don’t claim her to be anything other than what she really is: a Liberal Party supporting independent. If she is embarrassed by that, then perhaps she should stop using Liberal Party members to hand out her leaflets.”

The Liberals claimed seven of the twelve seats on offer, with Councillor Sally Betts set to regain her former position as Mayor.

Ms Betts cited disillusion with the other two major parties as a factor in the swing towards the Liberals.

“We ran on a platform of financial management and I think that as always the electorate was disappointed in Labor’s inability to manage the financials of Council responsibly,” Ms Betts said. “I think people are just fed up with the Greens in Federal politics and that’s part of the reason why the Greens vote fell away.”

Councillor Tony Kay was re-elected in Waverley, while Joy Clayton retained her seat in Bondi Ward.

Councillor Angela Burrill posted a strong win in Lawson Ward, with fellow Liberal candidate Andrew Cusack elected in the second seat.

“The residents have made their position clear at the local covernment elections in Waverley and we have had more than a nine per cent swing to Liberal,” Ms Burrill said. “The Waverley Liberal team is made up of several new highly professional local residents who alongside the longstanding Liberal councillors presented a good campaign to bring back good government and good sense to the Council.”

Labor has retained three seats, while Dominic Wy Kanak is the only Greens Councillor remaining.

The election results for Bondi were released a day earlier than the other wards, leaving the Liberal Party having to wait longer than anticipated to learn of their victory.

“The knowledge that the full and accurate process of the NSW Electoral Commission had taken place was more important,” Ms Burrill said.

The NSW Electoral Commission could not be reached for comment.