By Ethan Benedicto
As the final stages of the election draw near, so does the final tally of the candidates’ expenditures, with transparency of campaign costs throughout the municipality and talks of ‘dummy candidates’ rife in the air as candidates break down the process of campaigning.
For Kalora Ward, Casey independent candidate Jafri Katagara Luwanga has campaigned for 12 months which includes parts of Endeavour Hills and Narre Warren North.
After spending about $15,000 on a campaign including full-gloss leaflets, he says he’s “broke”.
“People say they don’t want to see political parties in council. The problem with running as an independent is you need to spend a lot of money.
“I’m not running to be Prime Minister, just a councillor.”
Luwanga is one of nine candidates vying for Kalora Ward. He says some are ‘dummy’ candidates – a tactic used to harvest preferences for his rivals.
He says if he runs for council again, he’d seek endorsement – and resources – from a political party.
“The council election is for people with money. I don’t have a problem with political parties endorsing candidates because it helps people like me to run for council.”
Luwanga also expressed the importance of monetary wealth when it comes to seeing success in the effectiveness of campaigning.
To Zabi Mazoori, who has allocated, to date, roughly $5000 in spending for his campaign, said that the process has “not been easy”.
“It’s good to be out there and talk to people about the local council, about the issues that are affecting the local community.
“But it’s also not easy when speaking to residents in the area, everyone has different expectations.
“And as an independent, with no party members, I have not had support from anyone else,” he said.
To Brian Oates, he acknowledged that campaigning is stressful and more so expensive, but is something that is needed if someone wants to “get in”.
Oates, who had spent roughly $5000, saw most of his investment, like many others, on pamphlets and leaflets to be handed out from one door to another.
Pulling his experience on previous elections, Oates is well acquainted with the campaigning, saying that “I’ve been through an awful lot of campaigns, so I know how to get things going.”
“How to talk to people, and so on, but it’s been eight years and a lot of people have completely forgotten about the fact that there are council elections to be held,” he said.
Damien Sawyer, who began campaigning a few months ago, said that it has taken a toll on him, but one that he appreciates; considering the people he has spoken to, the stories he has heard and his eagerness to be able to advocate for the local community.
“It’s been a lot of work, organising posters and graphics, the website, email addresses, so there’s been a lot of hours put in,” he said.
“I’m tired, so I’m looking forward to the end of the race but it’s exciting as well, I’m enjoying it, having my children meet the community and such – and I’ve met some fantastic people doing so.”
Sawyer has allocated $2000 for this campaign and has been accepting anonymous donations from the general public, adamant that he is happy of the support from the donors, but does not rely on their consistency.
Melinda Ambros on the other hand, understands the importance of campaigning, especially considering that with the lack of councillors, it’s as if the city is “starting a new baby”.
However, as pamphlets and posters go, Ambros remains steadfast in the belief that genuine community connections are the truest form of advocacy.
“I have established networks in Casey because I’ve lived here my whole life, I have a deep connection, I’ve volunteered, been involved with a lot of different communities, different religious backgrounds, different sporting groups and so on,” she said.
“I feel like if you’ve got that, then you don’t need to spend a lot of money on advertising, but for me it’s really about representing the people and wanting to become their voice,” she said.
Ambros, who has spent between $5000 to $6000 focused on mail drops and door-to-door distributions.
“To me, there are going to be 12 people representing a ward, but collectively we’re all responsible for the whole council, and if you’re just doing a campaign to put yourself out there, that’s not what the city needs,” she said.
On the topic of alleged dummy candidates, Luwanga has highlighted their prevalence throughout all the wards in Casey, saying that if these alleged dummy candidates were real, “they would have begun campaigning a long time ago”.
“There are some who pop out out of nowhere, they just popped out for nominations, you know?
“This should be looked into because when residents find out, especially when they have already voted, they’re not going to be very happy.”
Sawyer, who is running mates with Duc Nguyen and an acquaintance of Peterine Smulders, have preferenced one another after they attended and met at a community meeting.
While he understands where speculations on alleged dummy candidates may come from, he said that for them, it’s all about “engaging in the process”.
“We’re supporting each other, and it’s very much in the spirit of the game, it’s a strategy of appealing to people that are voting along community lines, which many people do.”
Mazoori doubled down on the alleged dummy candidates, saying that in itself is not a council issue, but a Victorian Electorate Commission issue, something for that body to investigate and look into.
“People who are not genuinely a candidate, but only running to support someone else, that makes it hard for the residents to know who is genuine,” he said.
Ambros has an emphasis on focusing on herself and her goals, highlighting that “we’re all adults and we know why people do things”.
“I have no political connections, I’m an independent, and I don’t want to speak on why people do what they do, and the way people conduct themselves, I can’t be responsible for.”
Sawyer expressed greater concern for candidates throughout the ward who have failed to disclose their connections to certain political parties, having been part of the Liberal party prior and discovering his much-preferred stance of independence.
“I think there are a lot of people who are part of a party, and that concerns me more than dummy candidates,” he said.
“I have a deeper concern when groups are running in particular, these stronger political parties, with the broader intention of actually aligning with a political agenda or a party agenda,” he said.
To Oates, the alleged dummy candidates have no “interest in actually getting into the council”, and have been more than evident throughout his years in local government.
