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| Frank Pearce |
FORMER councillor Frank Pearce has been returned to the Derwent Valley Council to fill the vacancy caused by the recent resignation of Rachel Power.
“Following the resignation of Councillor Rachel Power on 1 October 2019, a recount was completed today to fill a vacancy on the Derwent Valley Council,” Tasmanian Electoral Commissioner Andrew Hawkey said.
“Six eligible candidates nominated to contest the recount. Frank Pearce has been elected as councillor to serve until the 2022 ordinary elections,” Mr Hawkey said.
Mr Pearce, who served as a councillor from 2014-18, is also a former general manager of the Glenorchy City Council.
He returns to a council which has been beset by controversy since last year’s annual general meeting, including the resignations of two councillors.
Six eligible candidates from last year’s election contested today’s recount, all of them being former councillors or former council officers: Philip Bingley, James Graham, Chris Lester, Tony Nicholson, Frank Pearce and Wayne Shoobridge.
Mr Graham was in the lead for most of the recount, until votes redistributed from Mr Lester pushed Mr Pearce over the line.
Mr Pearce polled 72 primary votes in last year’s council election, finishing 15th out of the 18 candidates. The purpose of today’s recount was to determine which candidate would be elected to council from the votes which had originally elected Mrs Power. After 25 counts, Mr Pearce ultimately received 209 votes, ahead of Mr Graham who received 195.
First preference figures from the 2018 council election were as follows:
BELCHER, Paul 854 (ELECTED 1ST)
SHAW, Ben 847 (ELECTED 2ND)
TRIFFETT, Julie 473 (ELECTED 3RD)
EVANS, Martyn 232 (ELECTED 6TH)
POWER, Rachel 230 (ELECTED 5TH – RESIGNED OCTOBER 2019)
COSGROVE, Jessica 215 (ELECTED 4TH)
LESTER, Chris 195
SALT, Anne 184 (ELECTED 8TH – RESIGNED JUNE 2019)
BROWNING, Luke 171 (ELECTED 7TH)
HILL, Matthew 145
GRAHAM, James 142
HALL, Kristy 131
BINGLEY, Phillip 98
WOODS, Natasha 83 (ELECTED 9TH BY RECOUNT, JULY 2019)
PEARCE, Frank 72 (ELECTED 10TH BY RECOUNT, OCTOBER 2019)
NICHOLSON, Tony 61
LATHEY, Barry 57
SHOOBRIDGE, Wayne 39
