By Casey Neill
It’s official – Greater Dandenong has two new councillors.
The Victorian Electoral Commission’s (VEC) returning officer for the municipality, Bill Irvine, declared the results of the 22 October local government election at Dandenong Civic Centre on Wednesday 2 November.
They are now councillors elect and will be officially sworn in at a statutory meeting of council on Thursday 10 November.
Tim Dark unseated Paperbark Ward councillor Peter Brown and Zaynoun Melhem replaced Silverleaf Ward retiree John Kelly.
Lightwood Ward representatives Youhorn Chea, Loi Truong and Sean O’Reilly were all returned, as were Red Gum Ward’s Matthew Kirwan, Jim Memeti and Angela Long.
Voters also re-elected Silverleaf’s Maria Sampey and Paperbark’s Roz Blades and Heang Tak.
Cr Chea said that after 19 years on council and seven elections, this term would likely be his last.
He then revealed a ‘no ticket machines’ sign and vowed to introduce at the first council meeting a motion to remove them from Springvale.
“The residents don’t want the ticket machines in Springvale,” he said.
“I always put residents first.”
Cr O’Reilly said the council now had a good mix of old and new, and younger and older.
“It was a gruelling campaign with the additional week of pre-poll,” he said.
He received good feedback at the polling booth on council initiatives, and new ideas he’ll start to progress.
“One issue highlighted was the residents want to see council do more to clean up the streets,” he said.
One issue that the councillors elect consistently raised was the cold and windy conditions that plagued them and their volunteers on election day.
“A lot of people got colds out of it,” Cr Long said.
“We even got wind-burnt it was so bad.”
Cr Sampey lost her voice due to illness after ironically pledging in her campaign brochure to be a strong voice for the ward.
“As soon as I get my voice back, I will be,” she laughed.
“I think we’re going to have a really great next four years.”
Cr Blades was among several councillors-elect to praise their families and volunteers.
Cr Memeti urged unsuccessful candidates to keep their heads high and hold those who had been elected to account.
Cr Kirwan said the councillors had diverse skills and would complement each other.
