Biggest council grouping will be Your Northern Beaches
The failure of the Liberal Party to nominate any of its candidates has created a power vacuum grabbed by the former mayor’s party, Your Northern Beaches Independent Team (YNB).
YNB previously had four positions on council, with the Liberals six. Subject to declaration of the polls, YNB will have at least seven, possibly eight spots, putting them in a commanding position to take out the mayoral race on 8 October.
Former mayor Sue Heins, who has served on the current and previous Warringah Council for 12 years, told PL she would be nominating as mayor. Ms Heins said that as her previous terms had been short, she ‘could not change too much.’ But if re-elected, she had plans to address the new NSW planning laws and long-term council budgets. A deficit for the council has already been forecast, with a possible rate rise on the cards. As for whether Ms Heins supports this, she said: “I think it depends on what the best outcome for the area would be.
“When a new council starts, you revisit the community strategic plan to make sure that your budgets line up with (councillors’) priorities.”
Sunny Singh is the only declared Liberal elected
Ms Heins said she brought experience from many geographical regions of the beaches. “I’m very aware of the different viewpoints and challenges in each of the different wards. So I think I can bring a very high level strategic view.”
As for who will fill the 15 spots on council, former Greens councillors Miranda Korzy (Pittwater) and Kristyn Glanville (Curl Curl) are likely to be returned. In Narrabeen, long-standing councillor Vincent De Luca looks set to be re-elected. In an unexpected result, Mr De Luca’s running mate, Robert Giltinan, who served on the previous Warringah Council, seems likely to get a spot. The count in Frenchs Forest is on a knife’s edge, with 20-year-old Ethan Hrnjak of the Greens on the precipice of election, with YNB already on two quotas. Good for Manly’s Candy Bingham will be returned, with a fight for third position between the Greens and Good for Manly.
The new council will have either seven or eight new faces, including two in Pittwater: Rowie Dillon (YNB), of Rowie’s Cakes and Sunny Singh, who has polled the strongest in that ward, running as an un-endorsed Liberal. Mr Singh owns 4 Knots at Narrabeen SLSC and Brookvale.
The new mayor and deputy will be elected at an extra-ordinary meeting of council on 8 October.