Council Elections are just two weeks away. This time, we really need to put a bit of effort into our vote. For the past four years with zero "local" councillors, it has been too easy for MidCoast Council to ignore us. If we all vote strategically we might just have a chance of changing that. Just putting a [1] somewhere above the line this time will not be good enough. Voting below the line is essential.
This time there are 17 "local" candidates: from Tea Gardens, Hawks Nest, Bulahdelah and Booral. Eleven of these are members of groups B, F and I. Six are ungrouped. We need to make sure that all our preferences flow amongst all of these 17 candidates in the hope that at least one will get voted in.
So that means: Putting any party allegiances aside. Voting below the line. Preferencing, ideally, all 17 local candidates in your preferred order. (Do not put numbers in any squares above the line.)
That way, however your vote preferences are distributed, your vote will remain with a local candidate. If we don't do this, it is likely that no one from the southern end of the council area will gain enough votes to be elected.
The "local" candidates are:
| O'KEEFE Thomas | HAWKS NEST | Independent | B |
| HART Jeanette | HAWKS NEST | Independent | B |
| MURRAY Bruce | TEA GARDENS | Independent | B |
| MOTUM Malcolm | TEA GARDENS | Independent | B |
| MUNRIGHT Terry | TEA GARDENS | Independent | B |
| VAUGHAN Heather | TEA GARDENS | Independent | B |
| MELLOWS Emma | BOORAL | Independent | F |
| LENNOX Jennifer | BOORAL | Independent | F |
| FISHER John | BOORAL | Independent | F |
| FROST Veronica | STROUD | F | |
| HARRIS Jessica | BULAHDELAH | THE GREENS | I |
| HUTCHINSON Karen | BOORAL | U | |
| SMITH Stephen | BULAHDELAH | Independent | U |
| SAHYOUN John | BULAHDELAH | U | |
| STREAMER Richard | HAWKS NEST | Independent | U |
| MCENTYRE Elizabeth | TEA GARDENS | Independent | U |
| PANHUBER Vivien | TEA GARDENS | U |
