Three contenders revealed for Mandurah mayor
Nominations don't officially open until the end of the month, but the Mandurah Times can reveal that councillors Peter Rogers, Amber Kearns and Ahmed Zilani are all bidding for the top job.
Cr Kearns, a one-time school chaplain, was elected to the East ward in 2021, engineer Cr Zilani was elected to the North ward in 2019 and business consultant Cr Rogers to the Town ward in 2015.
Out of the three, Cr Kearns is the only councillor due for re-election this year.
In an unexpected twist to the mayoral race, the Times can also reveal that Cr Zilani was found to have committed a minor breach of the Local Government Act last year following a complaint made by Cr Rogers.
This came after Cr Zilani made a detrimental comment on Facebook that disparaged Cr Rogers.
Cr Zilani was forced to make a public apology to Cr Rogers at a May 2024 council meeting.
Cr Ryan Burns also apologised to Cr Rogers at the same meeting after a similar breach.
During the July rates debate, Cr Rogers also called out Cr Zilani for 'election speak' after the latter spoke about the role he believed the mayor could play in reducing rates.
Cr Zilani had previously shared his plan to run for mayor at the next election.
'There was no campaigning speak, I said leadership can bring our rates reduced,' Cr Zilani said at the time.
That same week Cr Zilani also surprised when he promised to donate half a tonne of goat meat if elected mayor every year he remains in office.
Cr Rogers told the Times he'd be campaigning on more traditional grounds with a hope to address crime, grow the economy and protect the environment.
On Sunday, Cr Zilani sent his followers a link to a GoFundMe campaign where he is aiming to raise $9000 to back his mayoral bid.
Cr Zilani wrote that as mayor he would 'keep decisions transparent, ethical, and free from influence and represent all of Mandurah equally, not just select groups'.
Via her announcement on social media, Cr Kearns wrote that she believes 'a handout is not a hand up'.
'I care deeply about this place, and I believe I can make a positive difference as your mayor,' she added.
If a new mayor is elected in October, it will be Mandurah's third in a year after Rhys Williams stepped down in February for a run at State politics and deputy Caroline Knight took over.
Ms Knight is yet to confirm if she'll be running for the position.
There will be six council spots up for grabs, with councillors Dave Schumacher, Ryan Burns, Peter Jackson, Daniel Wilkins, Amber Kearns and Bob Pond all due for re-election.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
11 hours ago
- Perth Now
Melville not sitting on the fence
The City of Melville believes it has found a peace solution for — or at least a way to keep itself out of — one of the most common causes of disputes between neighbours. It had adopted new laws which dictate where fences can be built, what they can be built from and how tall they can be. Its current fence laws have not been reviewed for eight years and were due to be automatically repealed next December. The new laws were tweaked after being advertised for public comment and adopted unanimously by the council at its July 15 meeting. They have increased the height limit for dividing fences that do not need council approval from 1.8 metres to 2.3m. Property owners will still need to agree on the height of a fence, irrespective of the height set in the local law. Disputes will be resolved under the Dividing Fences Act. Cr Tomas Fitzgerald said fencing was a 'perennial' challenge faced by local governments and although he didn't think it would go away, he hoped the new laws would make the issue clearer. 'One of the things I think that is significant and beneficial about this law is that it's much clearer about the lines of demarcation between the city's responsibility and the State's responsibility,' he said. 'We've seen situations where we have gotten dragged into what are essentially private disputes mediated by the State Government. 'That has been I don't think a good use of the resources of the city and it has not necessarily been to the benefit of the residents involved in those disputes.' Development approvals manager Kate Bainbridge said at a briefing on July 8 fencing had been a source of contention at almost every local government she had worked at. 'Those disputes will likely still continue in terms of who pays for what and what material that they use, but the city would no longer be involved in as many disputes,' she said. 'If the neighbours can't agree on a material or the height or anything like that and what they're proposing is complying with our local law, then the city would have no intervention. 'It would be entirely a civil matter between the two landowners which they can resolve through I believe the State Administrative Tribunal or local magistrates court.' Fences taller than 2.3m would be a 'lot more challenging' to support unless there was a really good reason and ideally support from both landowners. 'What we're seeing with a lot of applications is they're usually from a reasonable perspective,' Ms Bainbridge said. 'They're to provide a level of safety to their swimming pool, additional privacy to deal with level difference. '(The current laws) are an administrative burden which owners can often be confused by.' The new law will not affect existing fences. It had been suggested the city audit existing fencing but Ms Bainbridge said it did not have the resources. It also does not require fences to be built on property boundaries. 'It's not necessarily within everyone's means to determine accurately in all circumstances and there may be a physical feature which blocks it,' Ms Bainbridge said. 'There's also provisions within the Dividing Fences Act which allow for it to be considered adjacent to the boundary, and there's also avenues through the local magistrates court if there's a dispute.' Electric fences are still not allowed in residential zones. Barbed wire and broken glass are considered inappropriate materials for fencing. Pre-used materials can be used but they must be painted or treated. Ms Bainbridge said the city wanted to encourage people to use recycled materials but only if they were in good condition, which would be determined by city officers' 'professional judgment'. 'We struggled with this one because we wanted to provide a pathway where people could use recycled materials that were in good condition,' she said. 'Do we just look at recycled brick or do we look at recycled wood pallets? There's so many materials that could be recycled which still could be a really good fence. 'And so we felt that the approvals pathway would would provide a really good middle ground where we could still ensure that people can do these things, but we can make sure that they're in a good condition.' The new law will come into effect 14 days after it is published in the Government Gazette.
The Advertiser
20 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Former MP's win against $40,000 fine for Facebook posts
Former Liberal MP Andrew Laming has won a High Court case against a $40,000 fine imposed over three illegal campaign messages posted on social media. He was the Liberal MP for Bowman, in southeast Queensland, when he posted on the "Redland Hospital: Let's fight for fair funding" Facebook page ahead of the 2019 federal election. The posts between December 2018 and May 2019 were found to have not been properly authorised with his name and area of residence, as required for political communication by candidates. Dr Laming was initially fined $20,000 by the Federal Court for three contraventions of federal election law. But the Australian Electoral Commission appealed, arguing the former MP contravened the law 28 times - equal to the number of people who saw the Facebook posts. The Full Court of the Federal Court agreed and doubled the fine to $40,000, so Dr Laming took the fight to the High Court. On Wednesday, the court ruled the contraventions occurred when the posts were created, rather than when they were seen. Dr Laming welcomed the decision as an end to the years-long legal tussle. "I'm satisfied with the result and I hope it will lead to a sensible conclusion of the matter," he told AAP. The electoral commission was ordered to pay Dr Laming's legal bill for his successful appeal to the High Court. The commission has been contacted for comment. Although the majority of the judges agreed, Justice James Edelman dissented and called on parliament to clarify the relevant section of the Electoral Act in relation to digital communication. Unless an amendment was made, he said, there would be a "radical change" in the digital equivalent of the treatment of a campaigner who committed 1000 contraventions by distributing as many pamphlets. "The political campaigner of today will commit only a single contravention by an electronic message transmitted and received by 1000, 10,000, 100,000 or 1,000,000 unique (social media) profiles," Justice Edelman wrote. Dr Laming retired from politics in 2022 after a series of controversies, including a $10,000 travel expenses scandal. Former Liberal MP Andrew Laming has won a High Court case against a $40,000 fine imposed over three illegal campaign messages posted on social media. He was the Liberal MP for Bowman, in southeast Queensland, when he posted on the "Redland Hospital: Let's fight for fair funding" Facebook page ahead of the 2019 federal election. The posts between December 2018 and May 2019 were found to have not been properly authorised with his name and area of residence, as required for political communication by candidates. Dr Laming was initially fined $20,000 by the Federal Court for three contraventions of federal election law. But the Australian Electoral Commission appealed, arguing the former MP contravened the law 28 times - equal to the number of people who saw the Facebook posts. The Full Court of the Federal Court agreed and doubled the fine to $40,000, so Dr Laming took the fight to the High Court. On Wednesday, the court ruled the contraventions occurred when the posts were created, rather than when they were seen. Dr Laming welcomed the decision as an end to the years-long legal tussle. "I'm satisfied with the result and I hope it will lead to a sensible conclusion of the matter," he told AAP. The electoral commission was ordered to pay Dr Laming's legal bill for his successful appeal to the High Court. The commission has been contacted for comment. Although the majority of the judges agreed, Justice James Edelman dissented and called on parliament to clarify the relevant section of the Electoral Act in relation to digital communication. Unless an amendment was made, he said, there would be a "radical change" in the digital equivalent of the treatment of a campaigner who committed 1000 contraventions by distributing as many pamphlets. "The political campaigner of today will commit only a single contravention by an electronic message transmitted and received by 1000, 10,000, 100,000 or 1,000,000 unique (social media) profiles," Justice Edelman wrote. Dr Laming retired from politics in 2022 after a series of controversies, including a $10,000 travel expenses scandal. Former Liberal MP Andrew Laming has won a High Court case against a $40,000 fine imposed over three illegal campaign messages posted on social media. He was the Liberal MP for Bowman, in southeast Queensland, when he posted on the "Redland Hospital: Let's fight for fair funding" Facebook page ahead of the 2019 federal election. The posts between December 2018 and May 2019 were found to have not been properly authorised with his name and area of residence, as required for political communication by candidates. Dr Laming was initially fined $20,000 by the Federal Court for three contraventions of federal election law. But the Australian Electoral Commission appealed, arguing the former MP contravened the law 28 times - equal to the number of people who saw the Facebook posts. The Full Court of the Federal Court agreed and doubled the fine to $40,000, so Dr Laming took the fight to the High Court. On Wednesday, the court ruled the contraventions occurred when the posts were created, rather than when they were seen. Dr Laming welcomed the decision as an end to the years-long legal tussle. "I'm satisfied with the result and I hope it will lead to a sensible conclusion of the matter," he told AAP. The electoral commission was ordered to pay Dr Laming's legal bill for his successful appeal to the High Court. The commission has been contacted for comment. Although the majority of the judges agreed, Justice James Edelman dissented and called on parliament to clarify the relevant section of the Electoral Act in relation to digital communication. Unless an amendment was made, he said, there would be a "radical change" in the digital equivalent of the treatment of a campaigner who committed 1000 contraventions by distributing as many pamphlets. "The political campaigner of today will commit only a single contravention by an electronic message transmitted and received by 1000, 10,000, 100,000 or 1,000,000 unique (social media) profiles," Justice Edelman wrote. Dr Laming retired from politics in 2022 after a series of controversies, including a $10,000 travel expenses scandal. Former Liberal MP Andrew Laming has won a High Court case against a $40,000 fine imposed over three illegal campaign messages posted on social media. He was the Liberal MP for Bowman, in southeast Queensland, when he posted on the "Redland Hospital: Let's fight for fair funding" Facebook page ahead of the 2019 federal election. The posts between December 2018 and May 2019 were found to have not been properly authorised with his name and area of residence, as required for political communication by candidates. Dr Laming was initially fined $20,000 by the Federal Court for three contraventions of federal election law. But the Australian Electoral Commission appealed, arguing the former MP contravened the law 28 times - equal to the number of people who saw the Facebook posts. The Full Court of the Federal Court agreed and doubled the fine to $40,000, so Dr Laming took the fight to the High Court. On Wednesday, the court ruled the contraventions occurred when the posts were created, rather than when they were seen. Dr Laming welcomed the decision as an end to the years-long legal tussle. "I'm satisfied with the result and I hope it will lead to a sensible conclusion of the matter," he told AAP. The electoral commission was ordered to pay Dr Laming's legal bill for his successful appeal to the High Court. The commission has been contacted for comment. Although the majority of the judges agreed, Justice James Edelman dissented and called on parliament to clarify the relevant section of the Electoral Act in relation to digital communication. Unless an amendment was made, he said, there would be a "radical change" in the digital equivalent of the treatment of a campaigner who committed 1000 contraventions by distributing as many pamphlets. "The political campaigner of today will commit only a single contravention by an electronic message transmitted and received by 1000, 10,000, 100,000 or 1,000,000 unique (social media) profiles," Justice Edelman wrote. Dr Laming retired from politics in 2022 after a series of controversies, including a $10,000 travel expenses scandal.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
Former MP's win against $40,000 fine for Facebook posts
Former Liberal MP Andrew Laming has won a High Court case against a $40,000 fine imposed over three illegal campaign messages posted on social media. He was the Liberal MP for Bowman, in southeast Queensland, when he posted on the "Redland Hospital: Let's fight for fair funding" Facebook page ahead of the 2019 federal election. The posts between December 2018 and May 2019 were found to have not been properly authorised with his name and area of residence, as required for political communication by candidates. Dr Laming was initially fined $20,000 by the Federal Court for three contraventions of federal election law. But the Australian Electoral Commission appealed, arguing the former MP contravened the law 28 times - equal to the number of people who saw the Facebook posts. The Full Court of the Federal Court agreed and doubled the fine to $40,000, so Dr Laming took the fight to the High Court. On Wednesday, the court ruled the contraventions occurred when the posts were created, rather than when they were seen. However, Justice James Edelman dissented from the majority opinion and called on Parliament to clarify the relevant section of the Electoral Act in relation to digital communication. Unless an amendment was made, he said, there would be a "radical change" in the digital equivalent of the treatment of a campaigner who committed 1000 contraventions by distributing as many pamphlets. "The political campaigner of today will commit only a single contravention by an electronic message transmitted and received by 1000, 10,000, 100,000 or 1,000,000 unique (social media) profiles," Justice Edelman said. The electoral commission was ordered to pay Dr Laming's legal bill for the appeal to the High Court. The commission and Dr Laming have been contacted for comment. Dr Laming retired from politics in 2022 after a series of controversies, including a $10,000 travel expenses scandal.
