Labor's Nuatali Nelmes has been elected as Newcastle's second female lord mayor, securing over 42 percent of the primary vote in the weekend's by-election. The 38-year-old mother of three claimed victory within hours of the polls closing on Saturday.
Nelmes emphasized her campaign's focus on restoring integrity to local government and protecting essential council services. 'We worked for a long time to make sure we had our positive message out there about restoring integrity into local government and also protecting essential council services,' she said. 'We need to work very hard to restore the community's faith in our politicians.'
The victory marks a major shift in the balance of power on council, previously held by Liberal acting lord mayor Brad Luke and, before that, Independent developer Jeff McCloy. Nelmes' win gives her the casting vote on council.
Liberal-turned-independent Brad Luke received nearly 24 percent of the primary vote, while Greens candidate Therese Doyle garnered 14 percent and independent Aaron Buman took over 11 percent.
Nelmes' former council position in ward three—covering Kotara, New Lambton, Waratah, and Jesmond—now needs to be filled, potentially triggering another by-election costing up to $200,000. Nelmes plans to approach the Minister for Local Government to explore alternatives. 'There is potentially an opportunity to ask the Minister for Local Government to not fill the position. I'm not sure if that's possible, but it something that I will probably try and explore over the next few days,' she said.
