Former mayor Lana Formoso has made a late pitch to become Greater Dandenong’s next deputy mayor.
Tonight’s mayoral election had been expected to be a mere formality, with Labor member Sophie Tan so far the only candidate for 2025-’26 mayor.
Phillip Danh and Cr Formoso, also both from the ALP, will be contesting for deputy mayor.
The successful candidates will be bestowed a hefty pay rise during their 12-month terms – $142,661 for the mayor and $71,329 for deputy mayor.
This is well above the councillor wage of $41,992 per year.
Another topic of interest is a potential councillor boycott of the mayoral vote.
Independent councillors Bob Milkovic and Rhonda Garad have stated their intention not to support what is perceived to be a “pre-determined outcome” by Labor figures.
“I like how people still say it’s an election, assuming there’s a democratic process,” says Cr Milkovic, who has been an ‘apology’ at past mayoral votes.
The trio of mayoral and deputy-mayoral candidates have released their election pitches on video on the council website.
Cr Tan said she was ready for the mayoralty, having served twice as deputy mayor and many times as acting mayor.
She noted that a majority of Greater Dandenong councillors are female, bringing balance, perspective and inspiration for the community.
Leadership was about “listening, building trust and acting with integrity”, she said.
Cr Tan pledged to build a strong local economy, reduce unemployment, support local business and for a safer, cleaner city working with residents and police.
With the state election in 2026, she would advocate for housing, transport, business, employment, major projects and community safety.
A Greater Dandenong resident for more than 30 years, Cr Tan has a background in business, financial services, marketing and commerce.
Deputy-mayor candidate Cr Danh is a law graduate and former ALP electorate officer who was first elected in a 2024 by-election.
In his pitch, he said he was drawn into public service out of his love for the area where he’d lived all of his life.
Cost of living was the most common of resident concerns, he said.
And that they wanted their council to “do its job right” – maintaining roads, parks, sports facilities and collecting rubbish on time.
“I believe a well-run council should be a council that takes care of people’s needs so that there’s one less thing for you to worry about after a long day at work.”
Cr Formoso – a health education teacher and former mayor and deputy mayor – said she’d bring strong leadership, governance, effective communication and genuine community engagement to the role.
“I’ve worked hard to deliver positive outcomes for residents, with a focus on open transparency, collaboration and inclusion.”
She’d learnt how to lead with integrity, support other councillors and “ensure council decisions reflect the needs and aspirations of our community”.
Cr Formoso said she’d grown up in Greater Dandenong, where she was now raising her family.
A “strong female leader”, she had the ability to negotiate and resolve conflicts constructively, she said.
The mayor election can be attended by the public or viewed by livestream on the council’s website.
It is at Dandenong Civic Centre on Thursday 13 November, from 6pm.
