Reynolds lands top job in Perth as WA councils face election shake-up despite low voter turnout

There have been several notable shake-ups in the aftermath of the weekend’s local government elections, despite turnout dropping to 30 per cent – attributed to voter fatigue after West Australians went to the polls for the third time this year.

The declining numbers could mean the state government enforces compulsory voting for future local government elections.

Despite the low turnout, those who did vote threw their support behind new candidates.

Bruce Reynolds, who had been the acting lord mayor in the City of Perth after Basil Zempilas turned his eye to state politics, was officially elected to the role on the weekend.

The WA Electoral Commission formally advised of his victory on Sunday morning, with his term set to expire in October 2027.

Reynolds is also the immediate past president of the Perth Liberal branch, but resigned from the role when he became deputy lord mayor.

He said he believed the role should be “apolitical”, and he beat out fellow councillor Catherine Lezer and Labor-aligned restaurateur Clyde Bevan for the job.

Reynolds was not the only notable result, with Lisa Ma elected to the Perth council at just 18 years old.

Ma said that it was important to have someone in government who could connect policies to young people living in the electorate.

Meanwhile in the City of Fremantle, incumbent Hannah Fitzhardinge has been dethroned after five years as the port city’s mayor.

She was pipped at the post by former east ward councillor Ben Lawver, with the close count decided on preferences and officially announced late on Sunday evening.

In a statement, Lawver, a former Maritime Union of Australia WA branch official, said he was “extremely humbled and honoured” to have been elected.

“Our grassroots campaign involved hundreds of people from across our port city,” he said.

“This amalgamation of creativity and leg work, combined with so much love, is the starting point for our positive movement for a better Freo.”

Further south, the City of Rockingham’s first popularly elected mayor Deb Hamblin was ousted by councillor Lorna Buchan, who was previously the city’s deputy mayor.

And in the City of Joondalup, former federal Liberal-turned-independent Ian Goodenough ran for the top job, after Albert Jacob - himself a former state Liberal MP – announced he would not be re-contesting the mayoral role.

Goodenough was ousted from federal parliament after losing a preselection contest for his federal seat of Moore, and subsequently turned his eye to local government.

However, it was former councillor Daniel Kingston who prevailed in the end, rising to the top of the field which also included his former council colleague Christine Hamilton-Prime.

The City of Stirling was one council that recorded little change. Six councillors have returned to their seats, but in the Inglewood Ward, small business owner and lawyer Daniela Ion won a close contest on preferences over incumbent David Lagan, who had held his seat since 2011.

Mayor Mark Irwin said the community “needs people who are willing to step up and lead”.

The councillors will be sworn in at a special meeting at the city on Thursday, when a new deputy mayor will also be elected.

Trump’s tilt in WA’s South West falls flat

Meanwhile in the state’s regions, ratepayers the Shire of Harvey did not elect controversial candidate Austin “Aussie” Trump – formerly known as Ben Dawkins – to council.

In his candidate profile, Trump had urged voters “drain the swamp”, echoing US President Donald Trump’s catchphrase from his first election in 2016.

Instead, Harvey’s four council spots have been filled by Craig Carbone, Wendy Dickinson, Karen McCarthy and Laurie Morley.

In Bayswater, Big Don’s Smoked Meats founder Donovan MacDonald has been elected as a councillor in the West Ward.

MacDonald announced he would run in June and said he had considered running at the election two years ago after butting heads with the council, but things had been good since then.

However, the latest dispute over temporary toilets – which MacDonald said came out of the blue and impacted the security of his business – spurred him to take the plunge.

“I appreciate the support from voters, who clearly prioritised independents in several races across the city. I’ll have a lot to learn, starting with the deputy mayor vote and agenda meeting next week,” he wrote on Facebook.

“But I’m very excited to continue being a Baysie booster both as local business and from the council.”

Up north, Peter McCumstie has again been appointed as the Derby West Kimberley shire president, once again taking the helm of the embattled council.

The shire was thrown into disarray earlier this year following a mass resignation of councillors, leading the government to appoint a commissioner to oversee the council.

McCumstie has served on the Shire of Derby West Kimberley council as both the deputy shire president and shire president in the last five years.

In the Shire of Coolgardie, locals watched the outcome of the election closely after WA’s local government minister Hannah Beazley decided just last week not to suspend the council over concerns regarding its debt.

Paul Wilcox, Anthony Ball, Tammee Keast and Julie-Ann Williams have joined the council, with the Shire president and deputy to be decided on Tuesday during a special council meeting.

Meanwhile in the embattled City of Nedlands, voters will have to wait to have their say after ongoing questions about the council’s leadership delayed the election until March next year.

Mayor Fiona Argyle was famously sacked from the job earlier this year, giving a bizarre radio interview where she said a mass exodus from her council that led the state government to tip it into administration was a “good day”.

Similar scenes are playing out in the Town of Port Hedland, who will also have to wait to go to the polls until March next year after the council was placed in the hands of commissioners following the resignation of former mayor Peter Carter.

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