Waverley’s wards: a system divided

With the position of Waverley Mayor having seen three consecutive deadlocks in voting since 2008, speculation is mounting another stalemate will arise at the upcoming September 8 ballot.

Under the Waverley wards electoral model, the Mayor is elected by the 12 sitting councillors, not by the public. A proportional representation system of voting is used where councillors are elected by the community after obtaining 20 per cent of the formal votes cast, plus one additional vote, ensuring the quota does not result in an irregular number of candidates. “It’s quite different from the normal first-past-the post system” said Waverley Mayor John Wakefield. “Most [local government] councils in Australia elect mayors on the basis of what we do. Once councillors are elected, they vote for the best candidate among them [for the role of Mayor] at a separate meeting.”

With four wards in Waverley, and three councillors elected per ward, the system allows for smaller minority groups to be voted in and have a say on local community affairs. Mayoral positions are held for one-year terms and in circumstances where there is no majority vote, the Mayor is determined by a lottery system, whereby the first candidate to be drawn from a lot wins the vote. The 2011 ballot saw Mayor John Wakefield, a Labor member of the Bondi Ward, elected in a 6-5 vote, with former Liberal member, Kerryn Sloan, absenting from the meeting under controversial circumstances.
Liberal Councillor and former Mayor Sally Betts said: “Last year, one of the Liberals defected. Kerryn Sloan did not hold the balance, but she became Independent afterwards. She gave the vote to Labor-Green, as they were the majority”.

According to Mayor Wakefield, Ms Sloan had sided with Labor over the years due to a failure to reach a compromise with the Liberals over the issues of “hotels and licensed premises.” Ms Betts, a representative of Hunter Ward said: “In Waverley Ward, we got 2.3 per cent of the quotas, and over 50 per cent of the vote. In Lawson Ward, we got 1.7 per cent of the quota, and Kerryn Sloan got elected. Hopefully we can carry that momentum on this year.”

As Labor’s primary candidate for Lawson Ward this year, Paula Masselos will face competition from Liberal candidates Angela Burrill and Andrew Cusack. While Labor is concerned with addressing the issue of pedestrian safety through investment in urban infrastructure, Liberal’s priority is financial sustainability and consolidating the existing capital works budget to solve such problems as the collapsing tunnels on Bondi Beach.