The next Council election will take place within twelve months.
Due to the dismissal of the previous council, Glenorchy conducted its last poll almost a year before all other Tasmanian councils. The last Glenorchy City Council election was out of sync with the other councils, but the next one is to be conducted concurrently with all other Tasmanian councils in October 2022. The Local Government (Glenorchy City Council Election) Order 2018 allowed for realignment to the elections schedule.
Councillors will be starting to contemplate their future. While Johnston, Stevenson, Dunsby and King came into Council fully aware of the size of the commitment (and with a public profile from the previous Council), the newbies may have been surprised by the amount of time and effort their election has generated. This was recently demonstrated by Alderman King self-nominating to replace Kristie on the Planning Authority after a deafening silence from all other aldermen.
How many will re-nominate for next year’s Council election?
Aspiring councillors will be considering their candidature and those deciding to stand will start their campaigns early.
The 2018 election saw the emergence of Team Kristie. That approach certainly succeeded with Johnston personally receiving almost 7 quotas in the alderman vote (enough to immediately bring seven other members of her team over the line, and sufficient to later bring Ryan into Council after the departure of Stevenson despite coming 23rd out of 24 candidates in the actual election).
The team strategy may not succeed again.
Despite Dunsby and King vigorously lobbying for unconditional FOGO exemptions, many in the community see the Council ensuring no signs of disunity.
Many in the community are also becoming impatient waiting for Council action on some major issues such as the decommissioning of the Tolosa Reservoir. Council does risk ending its term being perceived as a manufacturer of master plans, very expensive to implement and totally dependent on other levels of government for implementation.
Council has gained some kudos for most of its work helping Glenorchy businesses and ratepayers cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, although many of the economic recovery projects seem rather insubstantial (and Cityscape which will take half the $5m loan from the State Government will result in yet another master plan).
The overall public impression is of a Council with a focus on master plans but apparently without an ability to make incremental change. The big bang rather than smaller steps.
This Council’s term is five years. But it was not until Kristie’s departure that aldermen appear to have become more willing to share personal views and interests. Some aldermen have since displayed something of their personality, and their individual strengths, policies and interests.
Current councillors hoping for re-election would do well to find ways to differentiate themselves from each other and new contenders, to highlight their personal strengths and policies. They have twelve months to do so.
Key events for the election
Dates have been sourced from the Tasmanian Electoral Commission website (last checked 5/8/2022).
- Notice of Election – Saturday 3 September
- Nominations Open – Monday 5 September
- Rolls Close – Thursday 8 September
- Nominations Close – Monday 19 September
- Announcement of Nominations – Tuesday 20 September
- Polling opened – Monday 3 October
- Ballot material delivered – Monday 3 to Friday 7 October
- Close of Polling – Tuesday 25 October
Key dates after the election
- Returning officer gives a certificate of election
- (45 days later) Deadline for candidates’ return of election advertising
- (12 months later) Electoral Commissioner and the GM destroy advertising returns
Glenorchy City Observer 
Some very good points made here – none more so than:
The overall public impression is of a Council with a focus on master plans but apparently without an ability to make incremental change. The big bang rather than smaller steps.
But I fear it will take more than the next 12 months to make their move when they haven’t made a whimper over the past three years!!
Kaye
As per what appears to be an increasing number of unhappy rate payers, I am interested in each future councillors aims and reasons for wanting to be elected. As the GCC displays at this point with possibly three exceptions there seems no unity, no support and no face to face conversations unless there is a prepared statement which cannot/will not be deviated from. We have had ever increasing rates to pay for internal disputes ( what happened to professional indemnity insurance?). We have had bullying in the guise of being forced to pay for the FOGO rollout wether you have a bin or not.our future seems to be bleak, we are in need of a listening council not bench warmers. Reminds me is shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic.