The Unconventional Journey of Newcastle's Independent Lord Mayor
When Ross Kerridge assumed the role of lord mayor for the City of Newcastle in September 2024, his victory defied conventional political expectations. As an independent candidate who had been expelled from the Labor Party after attempting to resign, Kerridge's successful campaign left many observers surprised. His outsider status set the tone for what would become a challenging and often tumultuous tenure at the helm of Newcastle's local government.
An Unexpected Victory Against the Odds
Kerridge's path to the lord mayoral chains was anything but straightforward. After losing a Labor preselection battle against longstanding incumbent Nuatali Nelmes, he departed the party he had belonged to since he was eighteen years old. Running on a platform promising significant change for the city, Kerridge managed to secure a decisive victory through days of careful vote counting, ultimately claiming the position from Nelmes, who remained in the council chamber as a ward representative before later resigning.
A Tenure Marked by Conflict and Controversy
Despite campaigning for transformation, few changes came easily during Kerridge's time in office. His tenure was immediately complicated by an investigation into general manager Jeremy Bath's connections to a letter-writing scandal, creating tension between the council's top leadership from the outset. Local government is rarely without conflict, and Kerridge's administration faced particularly intense battles within the chamber that resulted in marathon meetings and persistent political jabs.
The lord mayor's willingness to engage with protesters during Rising Tide's protestival in the city sparked both criticism and furious debate, while his meeting with a Chinese official generated headlines far beyond Newcastle's local government area. Beyond the political arena, the sudden death of Greens councillor Sinead Francis-Coan added a tragic dimension to the difficult circumstances facing City of Newcastle's leadership over the past two years.
Personal Challenges Amid Political Struggles
Perhaps most significantly, Kerridge's own cancer diagnosis presented him with the challenge of leading the city without even his own body as a reliable ally. This personal health battle ultimately led him to step back temporarily from his duties, demonstrating what he described as a necessary form of service to allow someone with more energy to step forward. Since returning to work on January 19, Kerridge has conceded that he is unable to continue in the demanding role.
"I called for a shift away from 'big projects' and 'big issues', to focus on core services and community projects across the entire city," Kerridge reflected. "While these policies were supported at the election, and since then by ongoing support from the community, I have not been able to progress the agenda that was voted for by the people of Newcastle. The fact is that Labor councillors, supported by the Greens, hold an insurmountable majority."
Looking Toward Newcastle's Political Future
With Kerridge's departure, the choice of Newcastle's next leader will fall to ratepayers, who will have the opportunity to popularly elect his successor. Contenders are likely to emerge and solidify their positions in the coming weeks, with the campaign trail expected to blaze with the familiar fire of local politics. Given Kerridge's outlier status, it seems particularly appropriate that voters will directly choose who next takes on the lord mayoral challenge, even if that decision may carry some fiscal implications for the city.
Kerridge's tenure demonstrated that the political fire burned brightly enough within him to withstand significant personal difficulty as he pursued what he believed—and was able to convince voters—was right for Newcastle. As the city prepares for a new era of leadership, residents can only wait to see what this transition will bring. In line with Kerridge's own parting wishes for Newcastle, the community hopes this next chapter will sail more smoothly than what has come before, while acknowledging the complex realities of local governance in a dynamic urban environment.
