It came as no surprise this afternoon that Independent mayoral candidate Steve Krieg has been elected Mayor of Lismore.
From the moment the polling booths closed on December 4, Krieg was the frontrunner for the top spot in Lismore City Council and that position was solidified at the Lismore Regional Returning office today.
What did come as a surprise was that only one candidate and one journalist showed up for the announcement – Mayor Krieg and the four other candidates were nowhere to be seen.
It appears the only Lismore Councillor or candidate who got the memo was Cr Darlene Cook who stood witness to the proceedings. Cr Cook expressed congratulatory wishes to Mr Krieg on a campaign well run.
Mr Kreig attracted 15,947 or 69.82 per cent of the total 27,044 votes. Cr Vanessa Ekins with the next highest vote attracted 30.18 per cent – 6,894 votes. Cr Elly Bird 3,952 votes after preferences and Cr Darlene Cook 2,576 votes after preferences.
There were 570 informal votes for mayor.
Mr Krieg has a tough job ahead of him – having never been on Council before he will have a lot to take in before the next meeting on Tuesday January 11.
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