BRIMBANK mayor Natalie Suleyman has been voted out because her attempt to create an alliance to return her misfired.
Long-time serving Cr Suleyman, with four assured votes, is believed to have tried to line up Cr Sam David to make up the five votes she needed.
But in a deal done just minutes before the vote, Cr David combined with the remaining four councillors and voted Cr Suleyman out.
The city’s new mayor, Margaret Giudice, still finds it hard to believe that after seven years on the council she is finally sitting in the hot seat.
“It sunk in this morning (last Thursday) when I opened an email from one of our officers and it said: ‘The mayor has asked that I inform you of this process’. Then I thought: ‘The mayor. Let’s see what she’s got to say …’ But then it hit me,” she said, laughing.
Last Tuesday’s council meeting was full of surprises as what was least expected had happened: Cr Suleyman, widely believed to have enough votes to continue her mayorship, got kicked out of the game as the alliance of five councillors – Miles Dymott, Kathryn Eriksson, Costas Socratous, Sam David and Troy Atanasovski – voted in Cr Giudice.
The deal was done minutes before the start of the meeting as Cr Giudice received one nomination from Cr David, which was seconded by Cr Eriksson, who became deputy mayor.
Council sources say that Cr David, who was also nominated for the position, gave up his nomination because of a breach in a deal between him and Cr Suleyman, who promised Cr David the mayorship this year after it was agreed that she would have it last year.
But a last-minute twist saw Cr David being approached by Cr Suleyman, asking for his support for her to have another term as the mayor.
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Cr Suleyman failed to return Star’s calls before the paper went to press.
“I have been nominated in the last minute but I declined the nomination. If I wanted I could have been the mayor,” Cr David said.
In an emotional speech, Cr David last week congratulated Cr Giudice on the position, saying Cr Giudice proved her faithfulness to him in the 2004 mayoral elections.
“I rang you to offer you the mayorship then. You proved it to me by saying, ‘Sam, you know me better than that. I’ve got loyalties’,” Cr David said.
The mother of three and first-time grandmother has been described by several residents as a community-oriented person who has a “good set of listening and engagement skills”.
The fashion-oriented Keilor Downs resident, who has a love for accessories, told Star last week she would be a “fair mayor”.
“The first thing that we need to do is appoint a new CEO and it needs to be a CEO that can deliver for the people of Brimbank,” Cr Giudice said.
When asked whether there was a division between the councillors who showed their support by voting for her, and the other four – Ken Capar, Jenny Barboza, Anthony Abate, Marilyn Zukalski – being on Cr Suleyman’s side, Cr Giudice said she did not “intend to continue along that path”.
“I don’t think that division will last for too long. Once we get to our first briefing in January, all councillors will get back on track and do their work,” she said.
But last week’s council Christmas party saw only the five councillors who supported Cr Giudice turn up.
St Albans Traders Association secretary Asip Demiri said the councillors being absent from the party were “crying over spilled milk”.
“I think Margaret has an opportunity to put this council and municipality on the map and do some good things,” Mr Demiri said.
“She’s not coming with any of the luggage that the other ones had.”
The federal member for Gorton, Brendan O’Connor, said the council “must convince people that their first priority is to ensure its decision making is transparent and accountable”.
Sunshine Residents and Ratepayers Association (SunRAA) member John Hedditch said the new council needed to consider withdrawing the threats of legal action against some of SunRAA’s members.
“The two parties should come together and start to cooperate rather than cause conflict,” Mr Hedditch said.
Cr Eriksson, who was elected the deputy mayor, said she was hoping councillors could “move Brimbank along in a positive direction”.
“It’s not like we’re going to suddenly have a huge love fest but people are very hopeful that with the new mayor things will change for the better,” Cr Eriksson said.
