By Violet Li
The highly anticipated 2024 Casey Council October Election took up the better part of the year’s coverage. The warm welcome for the comeback of the elected council after almost five years of administration highlighted the Casey people’s rekindled yearning for local democracy.
The 2024 Casey Council October Election was the first election held since 2016. There was no local election in the municipality in 2020 as the 2016-2020 council was sensationally sacked by the State Government amid an IBAC anti-corruption inquiry.
A considerable number of candidates, 89, competed for the 12 councillor roles under the new single-councillor ward structure, including 52 candidates in Casey’s south.
A majority of the candidates were first-time runners, with only five from the previous councils.
Candidates from the 2016-2020 sacked council were former mayor Wayne Smith, and former deputy mayor Damien Rosario in River Gum Ward, Gary Rowe in Correa Ward, and Rex Flannery in Casuarina Ward.
Former councillors from pre-2016 councils who also ran included Lynette Pereira in River Gum Ward and Brian Oates in Kalora Ward.
Former Liberal member Gary Rowe was the only former councillor from the 2016-2020 council who got re-elected in 2024’s council election. The IBAC report made no adverse comments or opinions about him.
In Casey South, the newly elected councillors were Gary Rowe for Correa Ward, Carolyn Eaves for Quarters Ward, Michelle Crowther for Cranbourne Gardens Ward, Shane Taylor for Kowan Ward, Lynette Pereira for River Gum Ward, and Jenner Dizon for Tooradin Ward.
In Casey North, new councillors were Scott Dowling for Akoonah Ward, Kim Ross for Casuarina Ward, Anthony Walter for Dillwynia Ward, Dave Perry for Grevillea Ward, Melinda Ambros for Kalora Ward, and Stefan Koomen for Waratah Ward.
The new Casey Council team had one Labor member Cr Koomen, one Greens member Cr Perry, and ten independents.
Cr Koomen and Cr Ambros were unanimously elected by their fellow councillors to be the mayor and the deputy mayor, respectively.
The campaign kicked off early in the year when Hallam resident Ezatullah Alam announced his intention to run for Waratah Ward in the paper in early May.
The election year saw candidates actively engage with the locals to hear their concerns and advocate for a new beginnings in Casey. On the south side, issues like landfills, road conditions, green wedges, planning, and coastal hazards were heavily discussed and debated among the candidates.
Conventional campaign slogans such as “building trust”, “pursuing transparency in decision-making” and “making voices heard” were tinged with unprecedented genuineness and urgency in 2024 after the IBAC report involving the previous council.
On the other side of the picture, election, the modern-day Pandora’s box, is riddled with troubles that require immediate attention and resolution. Racism was the one on Casey’s doorstep. The hatred clouded the candidates from multicultural backgrounds and was indelibly imprinted on their minds. Defaced candidate signboards with racist hate speech were not an unusual streetscape here in one of the most diverse councils in Victoria.
Some affected candidates refused to be vulnerable and called out the misconduct, while others chose to forgive and forget.
Perhaps the most fatal and wounding blow for those who were hurt was a glimpse of the winners. It was not too hard to admit how few “non-Anglo” councillors were elected from a widely diverse field of candidates. Out of the 12 newly elected councillors, there are only two from a diverse background. Experts said Casey still needed more time, but it was on the right track.
At least the after-election story has been hopeful. Unsuccessful candidates did not see the loss as the end. They went back to their original roles in the community and continued to contribute. The journey for them goes on. They have already eyed out the problems and they decide not to let them slide. One could confidently say Casey now has more community advocates than ever. Casey people have very good reasons to look into a year of difference in 2025.
