By Cam Lucadou-Wells
THE PEOPLE DECIDED…
CLEELAND: Angela Long 3571 (57% after preferences), Dalibor Saula 2728 (43%)
DANDENONG: Jim Memeti 3447 (61% primaries), Geraldine Gonsalvez 1324 (23%)
DANDENONG NORTH: Bob Milkovic 4257 (54% after preferences), Zaynoun Melhem 3590 (46%)
KEYSBOROUGH: Tim Dark 4159 (50.5% after preferences), Phillip Danh 4070 (49.5%)
KEYSBOROUGH SOUTH: Rhonda Garad 4242 (54% after preferences), Stephen Fanous 3619 (46%)
NOBLE PARK: Sophie Tan 3900 (52% after preferences), Matt Pond 1517 (20%)
NOBLE PARK NORTH: Lana Formoso 4087 (54% after preferences), Maria Sampey 1877 (25%)
SPRINGVALE CENTRAL: Richard Lim 4399 (60% primaries), Minh Van Tran 1177 (16%)
SPRINGVALE NORTH: Sean O’Reilly 3333 (52% primaries), Angela Holl 2756 (43%)
SPRINGVALE SOUTH: Loi Truong 4084 (50.5% after preferences), Leang Vuorch Kong 3994 (49.5%)
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Five new faces have regenerated nearly half of City of Greater Dandenong’s council after results were finalised on 6 November.
Two weeks after polls closed, the new-look council revealed five female representatives, up from three.
Politically, the council looks similar – a slightly reduced Labor majority of eight councillors, with a Green, a Liberal and a ‘blue-and-yellow’ independent.
In are Bob Milkovic (independent, Dandenong North), Rhonda Garad (Greens, Keysborough South), Lana Formoso (ALP, Noble Park North), Richard Lim (ALP, Springvale Central) and Eden Foster (ALP, Yarraman).
Incumbents Zaynoun Melhem (ALP) and Maria Sampey (ALP) were defeated in the 2020 poll.
Peter Brown (ALP), who was deemed ineligible to stand, and the retired Matthew Kirwan (Greens) and Youhorn Chea (ALP) have also departed.
Sitting councillors Tim Dark (Liberal, Keysborough) and Loi Truong (ALP, Springvale South) were narrowly re-elected by 70 votes and 90 votes respectively.
Both saw sizeable primary vote leads whittled down by preferences.
Angela Long (ALP, Cleeland), Jim Memeti (ALP, Dandenong), Sophie Tan (ALP, Noble Park) and Sean O’Reilly (ALP, Springvale North) were also returned.
Mr Truong had been preferenced lowly by all five rivals. Runner-up and ALP member Leang Vuorch Kong nearly overcame an 849 primary vote deficit.
In recent months, Mr Truong gave away 24,000 reuseable face masks at his Springvale South milk bar.
His main priorities for next term were fighting against restrictions on clearing trees on private property, and for more state and federal help for Covid-struck small businesses.
The Star Journal tried to contact Mr Dark, whose 793 primary-vote lead was nearly over-run by ALP member Phillip Danh.
Mr Milkovic defeated incumbent Mr Melhem by a resounding 667 votes after preferences.
Minutes after the result, the well-known real estate agent said people responded well to his campaign.
“People knew from what I’ve done in the community. I tell it like it is – I don’t shy from calling a spade a spade.
Ms Garad held off a big-spending challenge from ALP fruit-and-vegetable chain-store owner Stephen Fanous to win Keysborough South Ward.
“It proves that you can’t buy an election,” a “stunned” Ms Garad said.
She estimated that Mr Fanous outspent her campaign ten-fold with multiple mailouts, fridge magnets, help of a marketing agency, high quality videos and a billboard truck.
But his saturation campaign got to the stage of “annoying people”, she said.
“At times I didn’t give myself a chance.
“I’m so glad a grass roots campaign took it out.”
Another rival’s camp relentless attack on her eventually turned voters towards her. She acknowledged that Mr Fanous ran a positive campaign that didn’t personally attack her
Ms Garad, who ran strongly against Green Wedge development, said her first priority was “champagne with my team in half-an-hour”.
Ms Formoso, a PE teacher and SES volunteer, emphatically defeated sitting councillor of 20 years Ms Sampey.
She said it was exciting that the council’s gender imbalance was being redressed.
With the exception of a “handful of trolls”, voters were “really supportive, really positive and really happy for that change”, Ms Formoso said.
“I’m just so humbled and grateful that people researched their candidates. It was a long time coming and people just had enough.”
Her first priorities were Noble Park North’s parks, reserves and sporting clubs who’d “felt neglected”.
She listed Lyndale Soccer Club and Silverton Cricket Club – the latter whom openly campaigned on Ms Formoso’s behalf.
Meanwhile in Yarraman, Ms Foster will focus on young people and seniors – who have been particularly prone to isolation during the Covid lockdowns.
A secondary school psychologist, she says it’s important to keep youth connected with services, mental health programs and sport.
This has a dual purpose of also making the wider community feel safer, she says.
Another priority is to promote employment opportunities across Greater Dandenong’s cultural diversity.
Ms Foster chose not to engage Facebook despite the Covid-related doorknocking ban.
Instead Ms Foster promoted her policies in letter-box fliers.
“My message seemed to cut through,” she said.
After the near two-week wait for results, Ms Foster felt a weight off her shoulders.
She planned to unwind with a “glass of wine and to watch some of the US election on TV”.
