By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
SITTING Greater Dandenong councillor Maria Sampey has been frozen out of preference deals with fellow councillors for the October 27 council election.
Cr Sampey was expelled from the Labor Party for seven years when her vote helped install colleague John Kelly — a former Liberal Party member — as mayor in 2007.
She has been preferenced last in Silverleaf Ward by ALP member Barry Long, Cr Kelly, sitting councillor Yvonne Herring and candidate Vladimir Nogorny.
Councillors Kelly and Herring have kept their preferences open, registering five versions of their how-to-vote cards.
Cr Sampey’s most favourable ally is Residents Against Toxic Waste In the South East member Thelma Wakelam, who exchanged No. 3 preferences with her. “Everyone’s against me,” Cr Sampey said. “I wasn’t expecting this. They all want to get rid of me.”
At the 2008 election, she stared down a heated campaign from ALP members Mr Long and Naim Melhem. This time, she’s also pitted against Mr Melhem’s son Zaynoun, who had not registered a how-to-vote card at the time of print.
In Red Gum Ward, a powerful five-candidate ticket of ALP members — Jim Memeti, Angela Long, Wicki Wickiramasingham, John Gulzari and Trang Tran — are exchanging preferences. Greens candidate Matthew Kirwan has allied with independents Dalibor Saula and Geraldine Gonsalvez.
In Paperbark Ward, Greens candidate Nina Springle is running an open ticket without preferences. She’ll face a four-ALP member candidate alliance headed by sitting councillors Roz Blades and Peter Brown. The others are Meng Heang Tak and Minh Van Tran.
■ For full coverage of the Greater Dandenong Council election, click here.
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