Council Elections

The first and only Aboriginal councillor to be voted onto Byron Shire Council was Jimmy Budd, who was elected in 1991. 

Ballina, Lismore and Richmond Valley councils all have a popularly elected Mayor and this election saw all three sitting conservative mayors returned. 

Tweed Council will see one new face this term with National's candidate Kimberly Hone being elected in place of retiring conservative councillor Warren Polglase. 

While we still await the final outcome of the Kyogle Shire Council election the vote is on for the referendum on whether they should elect their mayor by popular vote.

Mustow is likely to retain control of the council with himself as mayor and three councillors maintaining the current conservative approach. This leaves three positions on council for other candidates. 

Residents came out all over the Lismore shire on Saturday in a vote that saw Steve Krieg returned for a second bite of the mayoral apple and Vanessa Ekins bowing out gracefully, from Lismore politics.

Who among us is not guilty of feeling a little unbelieving, when we hear the latest promises on housing, or environmentally-friendly development?

After 16 years on Ballina Council Jeff Johnson is retiring from the council playing field to concentrate on family and his solar and electrical business. Having been asked quite a few times who his recommendations are for the upcoming Ballina Council election here's his take.

The peak body representing community and residents’ groups, Community Alliance for Byron Shire (CABS), have posed the following questions to councillor candidates. All candidates replied to CABS/The Echo except mayor Michael Lyon.

In the lead up to Saturday’s election, members of Residents Against the Richmond Valley Incinerator (RARVI) have released a report on their interviews regarding energy-from-waste and other matters with the Richmond Valley Council mayoral candidates.

You will be hearing a lot from councillors in the run up to this election. One claim by Labor’s Tweed Shire councillor Reece Byrnes that an ‘alliance between Greens, Liberals and Nationals on council’ in which they ‘teamed up to vote’ warrants a fact check.

On 14 September the people of Ballina will elect nine councillors plus a mayor. Unlike some parts of NSW, where there are more councillor positions than candidates, a large field of applicants are vying for the chance to represent their diverse communities across Ballina Shire, from Newrybar in the north to Cabbage Tree Island in the south, and from Wollongbar in the west to fast-growing Lennox Head in the east.

The Kyogle Council has seen a fractious last term with their General Manager Graham Kennet being sacked (during a second attempt) in December 2023 and replaced by Brett Kelly. Mr Kelly had no council management experience and after just seven weeks was off to another job. So the question is who will you vote for?

The Richmond Valley election has 22 candidates in four groups A, B, C, and D, and one lone independent, vying for seven positions on council, including mayor.

The peak body representing Byron Shire’s community and residents’ groups, Community Alliance for Byron Shire (CABS), have posed the following questions for councillor candidates....

If you want to get in early and get your voting done for the upcoming council elections tomorrow, Saturday 7 September is your first...

The Byron Bay Chamber of Commerce will host a free ‘meet the candidates’ event, specifically aimed at Byron businesses, on Monday, September 9, from 4.30pm to 5.30pm at the Byron Community Centre

With any election, political hopefuls enter the race as insiders (already in the ‘political tent’ and seeking re-election), or being outsiders, meaning they generally...

Lyndall Murray is running for mayor and councillor in the upcoming Richmond Valley Council elections with a core team of seven candidates. Her team, Group C, are all about the community, effective good governance and positive leadership.

Echo: It is well known that career politicians and bureaucrats suffer from narcissistic and sociopathic behaviour problems. These characteristic traits include a lack of...