Bendigo Weekly 1097

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BendigoWeekly www.bendigoweekly.com.au

ISSUE 1097 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2018

Spirit think pink for OTIS

LUCKY DRAW BENDIGO Spirit will wear pink this weekend as part of a fundraiser for the OTIS Foundation – Story Page 32

Photo: ANDREW PERRYMAN

By SHARON KEMP

MARGARET O’Rourke was installed as mayor for an historic third term this week, but in the end, her election came down to chance. In the final round of voting, the piece of paper containing Cr O’Rourke’s name was pulled out of the ballot box, ahead of fellow mayoral aspirant, Whipstick ward councillor Andrea Metcalf. Chief executive Craig Niemann’s selection of the other piece of paper at last Monday’s election would have resulted in a change of mayor.

■ Complaints

Mayor wins third term by chance

The Bendigo Weekly can reveal voting at the mayoral election was conducted over many rounds at the end of which votes for Cr O’Rourke and Cr Metcalf were tied, four each. There are nine councillors able to vote, but George Flack excused himself from voting in the process. Cr Flack declared a conflict of interest because he employs Cr Metcalf in his business outside of council. Mr Craig Niemann yesterday

confirmed the order of events, but he declined to name the councillors involved. He said the process of electing mayor had been in place for as long as he had been at the council and probably before that. “We have a process in place that is agreed to by all the councillors at the start so that helps clarify that if things go certain ways, then we have a process to follow up rather than

filed in early vote row – Page 3

just making it up on the run,” Mr Niemann said yesterday. “There are obviously people who are disappointed when they don’t become mayor, but it is great that there are four councillors interested in wanting to become mayor, that is very healthy.” He said the election process started the week before the actual vote, when councillors were invited to nominate their interest in becom-

■ 52-page

ing either mayor or deputy mayor. “We invite them to make a presentation to the rest of the councillors and we invite questions from other councillors,” Mr Niemann said. “We did that two weeks ago, and let it sit for a week.” At the election, director for corporate performance Andrew Cooney was present and responsible for governance and Mr Niemann was appointed the returning officer. At this point, councillors declared any conflict of interest and abstained from voting. Continued Page 4

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