FOUR days after voting in council elections around the region, some shires are preparing to welcome new councils while others will have to wait for the distribution of preferences, the results of which may not be known until the end of the week.
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Late yesterday returning officer for Gunnedah Shire Terry Curran was awaiting the ratification of the final count by the electoral office before releasing the results, but mayor Gae Swain has been returned and 19-year-old Adam Marshall came in in second place on the first preference count.
In Moree, no candidate achieved the necessary quota to get them over the line on the first count, not surprising when you consider there were 34 grouped and individual candidates.
Preferences will be distributed in the next few days and a result is likely to be known by Friday.
After the first count though, the leader was the Group D collection of eight candidates – Meryl Dillon, John Tramby, Marilyn Marsden, Ron Fernance, Bronwyn Humphries, Col Wiggins, Frank Barr and Fred McGrady – with 2033 votes.
In the New England, counting of preferences in the Armidale-Dumaresq election continues today, with just three candidates to date acquiring the necessary number of votes to get them onto the 10-member council.
Mayor Brian Chetwynd and his deputy, Peter Ducat, have been returned along with Cr Brian Kelly.
To the west in Narrabri, where there were 28 candidates, counting is continuing, but after the preliminary count of first preference votes surveyor Ross Gleeson held 674 votes, followed by Ron Lowder with 635 and mayor Ross Panton with 608.
Counting is still continuing in Inverell, but a final result is expected this afternoon.
However, three candidates – councillors Barry Johnston, Dianna Baker and Darrell Barnes – received about 45 per cent of the total vote, easily making the election quota.
Results were finalised in Uralla yesterday where the new council will be made up of councillors Ken Brown, Bruce Howlett, Peter Kemper, Ron Filmer and John Sullivan, and new faces Mark Dusting, Chris Pyros, Kevin Ward and Isobel Strut.
In Guyra, councillors Audrey McArdle and Richard Burey, along with former councillor David McRae and David Bearup have been declared unofficial winners. Mayor Robyn Jackson and Cr Shane Davidson were automatically returned to the council because they were the only two candidates in Ward C.
Walcha Council declared an unofficial result yesterday as well, with mayor Bill Heazlett, deputy Kevin Ferrier, Cr John Cross and new member Robert Thomson all successful.
Automatic selections from Wards A and C were councillors Peter Blomfield, Janelle Archdale, Maria Woods and Lloyd Levingston.
