Weeks of enthusiastic campaigning reached a fever pitch on Saturday when voters headed to the polls for the Griffith City Council byelection.
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The candidates came fully armed with campaign flyers and their best election-winning smiles in the hopes of charming just a few more voters before the polls closed at 6pm.
Voters were spoiled for choice on election day, with eight candidates jostling for the one coveted spot on council.
Many of the candidates had never served as a councillor before, which was a refreshing change for voter Sean Backhaus.
“The council is looking a bit stale, so I would like to vote for someone new to change things up a bit,” Mr Backhaus said.
Voter Tony Del Gigante said he would vote for a candidate who could keep Griffith growing and thriving well into the future.
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“For me it’s about encouraging jobs and helping the farming community, because if the farmers are going well we’re all going well,” Mr Del Gigante said.
Voter Charlotte Finlayson said she was looking for a candidate who would stand up for Griffith’s public services such as health and education.
“The most important issue for me is ensuring our services are accessible, particularly for those who need them the most,” Mrs Finlayson said.
Her husband Andrew Finlayson had slightly different priorities.
“Where are the democracy sausages?!” Mr Finlayson demanded.
Voting was held at nine different locations in Griffith, but tragically there were no democracy sausages at any of the polling stations.
Peter Knox said he would vote for anybody who would fight to reduce the number of councillors and increase the number of council workers.
“There are too many big chiefs and not enough little Indians,” Mr Knox said.
Voting got a whole lot quieter as things started winding down around 6pm when voting stations closed.
There were relatively few voters this time around, since many of them had already pitched in their votes during prepolling.
Prepolling proved popular this time around, with a ballpark figure of around 1500 turning up to vote in the week leading up the byelection.
Council was forced into the byelection when former councillor Paul Snaidero was disqualified from civic office after being convicted for assault occasioning actual bodily harm against his former wife.
Mr Snaidero assaulted his then wife in their family home in December 2013, which led to his conviction and disqualification from council.
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