THE Armidale Dumaresq Council election, like three other regional local government reshuffles on March 27 are shaping up as highly contested affairs.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Last Friday ballot draws for candidates contesting the four elections were staged.
Armidale returning officer Lynnette Schuh said a total of 19 candidates were drawn from the box for the Armidale Dumaresq ballot at midday.
Current Armidale Dumaresq Cr Herman Beyersdorf led a group of five candidates including Fay Griffiths, Pat Schultz, Marjorie Henzell and Jack Geng.
Mayor Brian Chetwynd will stand for election again, as will current councillors Laurie Knight, Brian Kelly, Roger Patricks, Ken Waters, Peter Ducat and Bev Roobol.
Other candidates include Bruce Whan, Mary Munro, Chris Halligan, Rob Taber, Jim Maher, Harold Heffernan and Margaret Walford.
Barraba Shire returning officer Ian Arnold said 12 candidates had signalled their intentions to stand for eight council positions.
The candidates include current mayor Shirley Close and deputy mayor Phillip Hodges and councillors Peter Caskey, David York, Noel Bottrell, Betty Bourke and Bill Croll.
Other candidates include Richard Witten, Warren Sugden, Andrew Wright, David Witten and Michael Simpson.
Eleven candidates nominated for seven positions on the Murrurundi Shire Council.
Murrurundi returning officer Peter Upton said mayor Earl Kelaher and councillors Anne Smith, Harold Burrston and Viv Carter would again stand.
Mr Upton said other candidates included Neville Moxon, Ian McDouie, Tom Hannah, Scott Duddy, Cliff Noble, Andrezej Gospodarczyk and Chris Bowman.
Scone Shire returning officer Paul Oliver said 14 candidates would stand for nine council positions.
Six of the candidates have decided to stand as part of two groups.
The first group of independent councillors includes mayor Barry Rose and councillors Kate Fraser and Peter Hodges, while the second group comprises Cr Errol Bates and candidates Lloyd Rossington and John Scriven.
Councillor Stephen Watson will stand as a Labor candidate while the seven remaining independent candidates include Glen Roels, Pammie McLeay, Lee Watts, Cr Lorna Driscoll, Rod Benson, Cr Dean Stibbs and Alan Gordon.
Elsewhere in the region, ballot draws were staged in Gunnedah, Moree and Narrabri for the shire elections.
Moree elections have attracted 34 candidates, Narrabri 28 and Gunnedah 17 candidates.
The State Electoral Office said pre-poll voting facilities would be available at the individual council chambers from Monday, March 15 to Friday, March 19 and Monday, March 22 to Thursday March 25 from 9am to 4pm.
Ratepayers can also vote on Friday, March 26 from 9am to 6pm.
