Byron Shire Labor Councillor and Bangalow local Asren Pugh officially resigned from Council last Thursday, 19 February having announced the resignation in social media post the day before.
His resignation will be effective from 13 March, the last day he can resign before triggering a by-election. As a result the next councillor on the block will be decided by a countback. This recounts votes from the original election to fill the spot with the next eligible candidate from the same ticket who didn’t win a seat and remains qualified and accepts the position.
Byron Shire’s 2024 election term runs until late 2028.
Swivel’s moved on
The next person on the Labor ticket was former councillor and lawyer Mark Swivel, who swapped to the Labor ticket after former Mayor Michael Lyon was charged with domestic violence charges that were later dropped, followed by Byron branch Labor president Peter Doherty.
Swivel has now moved to Lismore and ‘to my understanding he’s not interested,’ Asren told The Echo. Doherty is now the front runner to replace Asren on Council.
Asren had run for mayor in the last Council election and missed out to Greens Mayor Sarah Ndiaye.
Despite Asren rejecting the notion that not being elected mayor has affected his decision to resign he did say that, ‘If I was mayor, I wouldn’t be stepping away. It would have been a different level of commitment as that is your full-time job’.
‘I’ve got to spend more time with my business and other projects, so I cannot dedicate the time I think is required to the work of Council and representing the community effectively. I’m a bit of an “all or nothing” person, and if I can’t give it my all and give it the level of energy, the time commitment that I think is necessary to properly represent my community, then it’s best if I let someone else.
‘I am proud of the progress we have made during my time on Council. I’m particularly proud of being instrumental in changing Council’s position in supporting the rail trail [which took place at his final Council meeting (see page 4)], and embedding Aboriginal housing on Country into Council policy.’
Asren has also been a driving force behind trying to return the Bangalow Bowlo back into community hands after Norths Collective closed the facility down in October 2025. At his final Council meeting he saw his proposal for recognition of heritage listing for parts of the site supported by all councillors (see page 2).
Contentious Mullum housing
Asren said he still stands behind the 57 Station Street carpark housing project in Mullumbimby, initiated by Council during former Greens mayor Simon Richardson’s tenure as housing above car parks, despite the very strong community pushback against the proposal.
‘But regardless, I think it’s an important project to have,’ he said.
‘If as a Council you declare yourselves, and the Shire, to be in a housing emergency and constantly use the language like housing crisis then you have to respond in a way that’s proportionate to that language. Otherwise, you’re just the boy who cried wolf. An emergency requires strong action and probably decisions outside the norm that requires pushing through things that you wouldn’t in ordinary circumstances.
‘We need the space for the artists, the creatives, and the crazies – you need somewhere for them to be able to live, otherwise, they’re not in your town anymore. And you don’t get someone in rainbow clothes doing a hula hoop outside shops anymore. You don’t get that, that thing that makes Byron special.’
Pugh previously ran for the seat of Ballina in the 2019 state election with his preferences pushing Greens MP Tamara Smith across the line. Asked if he is resigning so that he can make another tilt at the state elections in either the lower or upper house that are likely to take place in March 2027,’ Asren said. ‘We’ll have to see. It’s been a long time that I’ve been focused on Council and Labor won’t be doing its pre-selections for a long time.
‘You’ve got to have a reason to do it. It’s got to be an external reason and you have to have a drive to want to achieve certain things. Progress is not guaranteed as we’ve seen in America. To make positive change it requires people to engage in public life, in political discourse, in political campaigns.
‘It’s not easy on the family. It’s not easy on your finances, it’s not easy on your mental health. So you and your family have to be ready for it.’
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