Field of 40 to face the polls

By Melissa Meehan
TWO former mayors, nine current councillors and a total of 40 candidates will contest this year’s council elections for the City of Greater Dandenong.
Well-known for its safe Labor status, the battle for Dandenong is expected to be a fight to the finish.
Last week the Star reported that former Labor councillor Paul Donovan had joined the Liberal Party and would more than likely have Liberal running mates in the Silverleaf Ward.
He said he left the Labor Party after a falling out and believed the community was “fed up with the party’s factional antics”.
This week, another Labor councillor Maria Sampey lashed out at her fellow councillors after their failure to support a motion against logging in Melbourne’s water catchments.
“I know it is close to the elections but we as councillors have to do what is right for the community,” Cr Sampey said.
“This means not always toeing the party line.”
Cr Sampey along with councillor Alan Gordon, who has revealed he will not run this year, lost the support of the Labor Party after voting for Liberal supporter John Kelly to be mayor in November last year.
Voters throughout Victoria will go to the polls on 29 November to elect their representatives for the coming four years.