Sharon Cadwallader is poised to take on her second term as Ballina Shire Mayor after Saturday’s Election Day official vote-counting showed the independent had a clear lead.

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.

Council elections are rapidly approaching, but many of those seeking election in Ballina are still a mystery to potential voters. The Echo has been trying to find out what makes the latest batch of candidates tick, beyond the statements in their PR material.

With the NSW Liberal-Nationals government still allowing developments on floodplains, NSW Labor candidate Andrew Broadley told The Echo ‘Labor would not allow new housing for anyone to be developed in the floodplain’.

Andrew Broadley is running locally for Labor in the March election. Busy out on the campaign trail, he's been a bit hard to pin down in recent weeks, but agreed to a written Q&A with The Echo.

NSW election candidates make their case for improving poor education standards  With Labor think tank, The McKell Institute, outlining a sharp decrease in literacy and...