No rats in the ranks as election looms

Mayor of Leichhardt Darcy Byrne will recontest the position in the mayoral election to be held on September 25.

The Labor Councillor, of the Wangal (Rozelle-Lilyfield) ward, said he and Deputy Mayor Linda Kelly will both seek another term.

“Over the past 12 months council has made important achievements for the community,” Mr Byrne said, referencing the 30-minute free parking initiative and extra sports fields. “I will be recontesting in order to continue that work.”

After local government elections in September 2012, Labor and the Greens were poised to sign a power-sharing deal which would have divvied up the mayoralty for one each year.  But two Greens councillors did not sign the deal.

While Greens Councillor and former Mayor Rochelle Porteous is a harsh critic of Mr Byrne, she may not have sufficient support to stand against him. Labor sources said the Greens caucus would not tolerate their councillors supporting a Liberal candidate either. Ms Porteous did not return calls before deadline.

Greens Councillor Craig Channells said no discussions had taken place with branch members and denied suggestions from outside the party that the branch was fractured.

“We always have good, healthy debates,” he said.

Mr Byrne has previously identified childcare as a key priority for the year ahead. Council is preparing to work with care providers and local schools to use empty classrooms as out-of-school-hours facilities. It also wants to engage the State Government in a taskforce to “find solutions to childcare constraints”.

The mayoral election will take place on September 25 at 7pm.