COMMENT
Looking through the images and bios of the brave locals raising their hands to serve on the next term of Council brings up a mix of emotions.
The first is a feeling of sincere admiration. I don’t just mean that in a ‘better you than me mate’ kind of way. I honestly believe that being on Council is an act of community service and that most, if not all, of the candidates are standing because they want to have a positive impact on our Shire.
And when you consider the criticism and even abuse that Byron councillors get from the many passionate and opinionated people in this community (including from this publication), I think admiration is definitely deserved.
The second feeling that comes up is curiosity. I’m curious because I’ve spent enough time covering Byron Council to know that what we see on the how-to-vote pamphlets dished out on September 14 is not necessarily what we’re going to get. I don’t mean to imply that these candidates are phoney or duplicitous. It’s just that I’m curious to see what they’ll actually be like when it comes to governing.
You see, right now all but one of the 23 candidates for Byron Council are organised into five neat little groups. And most of those neat little groups have made neat little statements about what their group stands for.
In my experience, by about six months into the Council term, a completely different dynamic will be playing out. The concept of voting along party lines might be reliable in state and federal politics, but in Byron, it’s a sandcastle waiting to be swept into the sea.
Changing landscape
The last Council term is a case in point. It was characterised by a changing landscape of power in which decisions had little or nothing to do with the candidate blocks most of us voted for. For example, for about three quarters of the term, Mayor Michael Lyon (Independent) and Deputy Mayor Sarah Ndiaye (Greens), voted the same way on the vast majority of motions, including passing many large Development Applications (DAs) and the Byron Residential Lands Strategy, which paved the way for up to 5,300 new houses.
On multiple occasions, their votes were different to Cr Ndiaye’s Greens colleague Duncan Dey.
Cr Dey was following a more traditional Greens policy of seeking to limit development, while Cr Ndiaye had an approach that put social concerns such as affordable housing first.
This wasn’t some kind of outrageous betrayal or political coup.
As an outside observer, it simply seemed that Cr Lyon and Cr Ndiaye had served on Council together for a while, shared similar views about what needed to be done at that time, and had an approach that involved accepting the advice of Council staff and letting developers build things.
Toward the later part of the term, however, this unofficial alliance crumbled, with Cr Lyon and Cr Ndiaye taking very different positions on key issues such as the campaign to Save Wallum, and the decision to find a new source for Mullumbimby’s water supply.
As this shift happened, a new voting alliance formed, with Cr Lyon voting alongside Asren Pugh (Labor), Mark Swivel (Independent-turned-Labor) and Alan Hunter (Independent-conservative).
While all this was happening, Cr Lyon’s running mates from the last election had gone their own way and often voted differently to the Mayor.
Again, this wasn’t some dramatic political power play, it simply reflected the way Byron Council tends to work.
So, what does this mean for the upcoming elections? Here’s three things I’ve learned:
The mayor matters
Voting alliances may shift and change, but the mayor has significant powers that remain in place no matter what. The position comes with many delegated powers, such as allocating key Council resources in emergency situations (like floods). Secondly, the mayor has a voice in the key conversations with senior Council staff and state government bureaucrats, where much of the day-to-day work of Council governance is actually done. Lastly, the mayor chairs all Council meetings, which gives him or her the casting vote if things are locked at 4-4. As we saw during the last term, this casting vote is potentially crucial.
Glance down the ticket
Voter research clearly shows that the vast majority of people vote above the line in NSW council elections, i.e. they are voting for the group of councillors that they like, rather than individual councillors (the latter requires voting below the line).
Given that councillors often don’t vote with their block in Byron, the individuals who are sitting in the chairs are just as important as their group affiliations. So, if you are voting above the line, at least have a look down the list to make sure that you’re okay with all of those people making decisions on your behalf for the next four years.
Personality, not policy
Vote for the personality of the individual candidate rather than the stated policies of their group.
Having covered Council for a while, I would say that policy is some way down the list of things which determine decisions.
Unless a particular ticket is swept to power and has a majority of seats, decisions are made on the basis of personal politics, the shifting dynamics of the councillor group over time, and the broader context in which the decisions are being made.
The vast majority of decisions involve very localised planning matters, small but important rules and regulations, and the allocation of scarce resources to capital works projects involving roads, parks, footpaths and rubbish collection.
You might like to ask yourself, can this candidate put their ego aside and collaborate to get a good outcome? And crucially, does this person know anything about governance, or are they going to be stumbling around blindly like a September lamb?
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
