Wollongong ratepayers could well throw their hands in the air and growl " Here we go again ! " A city governed by an elected council will return in September - and already the political parties are circling for a return to " party politics ".
The Australian Labor party suffered a rout at the recent state elections - and voters will remember that this council was sacked because of corruption by endorsed Labor councillors - and as a result a Labor government appointed Labor stooges as administrators - and these people foisted parking meters that have decimated the CBD of the city.
It is a big ask to expect voters to support Labor after that debacle, but at the same time the Liberal party is thinking of running candidates for both council and the Lord Mayor's job - the first time since the 1970's.
Party politics is precisely what we don't need in local government.
It all comes down to a matter of loyalty. We need people who act for the betterment of this city and it's citizens, not people who are directed by party power brokers in Sydney to cast their vote in a way that runs parallel with party doctrine.
Labor is toying with the introduction of something that seems suspiciously like the model of American presidential elections when it comes to choosing a Lord Mayoral candidate. The idea is to hold a " primary " in which registered Labor party voters get to choose the person the party will endorse to run for office.
This seems to be designed to shy away from the use of their notorious N-40 rule, that saw local branches bypassed and those selected by head office " parachuted " into safe seats. It may then be extended to state government candidate selection - but only where the opposition holds a seat or a Labor nominee is retiring - never when such selection could oust a sitting Labor member.
The Liberals see a chance now that Labor is on the nose in the Illawarra. Unfortunately, if we end up with a mix of endorsed Labor and Liberal councillors on Wollongong council we will be back to square one where we revisit the old stamping ground of Labor - and thinly disguised " Liberals " posing as Independents.
That is a sure bet of " party politics " - to the detriment of progress for this city.
Hopefully, the voters may see through the machinations of all the political parties - and make a conscious decision to only vote for genuine independents who are totally free of any hint of party endorsement.
And the same selection process should apply for the job of Lord Mayor !
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