by Shane Sody
A huge field of candidates has nominated for election to the City Council, including the surprising last-minute nomination of former Lord Mayor Jane Lomax Smith.
When nominations closed on Tuesday 6 September, there were 45 candidates vying for 12 City Council positions. They included:
five candidates for the position of Lord Mayor;
five candidates for two positions as North Ward Councillor;
14 candidates for four positions as Central Ward Councillor;
12 candidates for three positions as South Ward Councillor; and
nine candidates for two positions as 'Area Councillor' (i.e. representing all three wards).
What ward are you in? If you are not in the City of Adelaide you can check your own local Council candidate list at the Electoral Commission
Seeking re-election
The candidates include nine members of the outgoing Council, seeking re-election: Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor and sitting Councillors Franz Knoll, Alex Hyde, Simon Hou, Arman Ambrahimzadeh, and Mary Couros (each of whom have been part of the Council's so-called Team Adelaide, the majority conservative-aligned faction).
Also seeking re-election are sitting Councillors Anne Moran, Phillip Martin and Keiran Snape (often referred to in media reports as independent, or progressive) who have been outnumbered in Town Hall votes on many Park Lands issues by the dominant faction.
From among the sitting Councillors, only two are retiring (i.e. not seeking re-election): Helen Donovan (South Ward) and Jessy Khera (Central Ward).
Potential new faces
Most of the media attention has focussed on the contest for Lord Mayor, with the incumbent Sandy Verschoor facing four challengers but only two with realistic chances: former Lord Mayor and former State Government minister Jane Lomax Smith, attempting to return after a 22-year absence from that role, and former Senator Rex Patrick, running as an unaligned or non-factional candidate, who has gathered a number of endorsements from other like-minded candidates.
The main contenders for the position of Lord Mayor, from left: Jane Lomax Smith, Rex Patrick, and Sandy Verschoor.
Other well-known faces who've nominated include:
former teachers union leader, Janet Giles;
former councillors Mark Hamilton and Sandy Wilkinson;
real estate agent Cassandra Papalia; and
Hindley Street landlord Alex Radda.
How to choose?
The Adelaide Park Lands Association will not be attempting to analyse and report on promises made by the field of candidates, nor even recommend a how-to-vote card. It's beyond our capacity to analyse all suggestions or campaign proposals by so many candidates.
However we are staging a candidates forum from 6.30pm on Wednesday 28 September at the North Adelaide Community Centre. To listen to and question candidates for Central Ward, Area Councillor, and/or Lord Mayor, please reserve your seat here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/candidates-forum-tickets-407778164467
North Adelaide Community Centre in Tynte Street, the venue for our candidates forum from 6.30pm on Wed 28 September.
Tickets are limited but we will also be livestreaming the forum on our Facebook page.
We have invited candidates for Central Ward, Area Councillor, and Lord Mayor, to our forum, but NOT candidates for North Ward nor South Ward.
Candidates and voters in North Ward and South Ward will have comparable opportunities at other events that are scheduled on other dates in September. There is:
a South Ward “Meet the Candidates” event scheduled for 15 September, and
two North Ward candidates fora:
One sponsored by the North Adelaide Society at 7pm on Wednesday 14 September, and
another sponsored by the North Adelaide Precinct Association a week later on 21 September.
Political connections
Some candidates have (or recently had) links to political parties. They include current or former Liberals: Helika Cruz, and Henry Davis in South Ward; Gagan Sharma, and Alex Hyde in Central Ward; Labor staffer David Elliott in Central Ward; and Greens members, Councillor Keiran Snape, and Sean Cullen-Macaskill running against each other in South Ward. (NB this is probably an incomplete list of candidates with political party connections!)
APA member candidates
In the interests of transparency we should point out that nine of the candidates standing for election are members of the Adelaide Park Lands Association. By joining APA they have agreed to support our Park Lands objectives although of course we can't guarantee that they have, or will! Conversely some candidates known to be strong Park Lands supporters (such as Councillors Anne Moran and Phillip Martin) are not members of our Association. Current Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor, although not an APA member, is nevertheless one of the most generous donors to our Adelaide Park Lands Art Prize which is our major fundraiser.
Among the 45 candidates are these nine APA members:
four APA members standing for election in South Ward: Henry Davis (one of our current Committee members) Councillor Keiran Snape (a former Committee member); Sean Cullen-Macaskill and Helika Cruz.
three APA members standing in Central Ward: Ben Ayris, Mark Hamilton, and Alex Hyde;
one APA member standing in North Ward: former Committee member Valdis Dunis; and
one APA member standing as an Area Councillor: Janet Giles.
See the full list of candidates here.
Why does it matter?
Decisions made by the City Council have real-world consequences for your Adelaide Park Lands. In recent years, the City Council has made some wonderful decisions to promote re-greening, supporting the stunning new wetlands in Victoria Park, and has imposed some welcome new guidelines on replacing old sports facilities with new multi-user facilities to minimise duplication of buildings.
On the other hand, some decisions in the past four years by the outgoing majority faction led to community outrage:
backing a secret Adelaide Crows bid, in 2020, to establish their headquarters on Park 2;
backing the former Liberal Government's plan for a 15-thousand seat stadium on Helen Mayo Park; and most recently;
selling a slice of Frome Park to the State Government for a new high school building.
Whoever is elected to form the new Council will have to confront a State Government that is determined to build over even more Park Lands at several different sites; such as for a new Aquatic Centre, a new Womens and Children's Hospital and new multi-storey car park in Park 27.
Please, Love Your Park Lands. Please choose carefully with your vote.
Electoral timetable
Mailout of ballot material to electors: between Friday 14 October and Thursday 20 October 2022
Close of voting (polling day) 5:00 pm, Thursday 10 November 2022
Scrutiny and count 9:00 am, Saturday 12 November 2022
