The Liberals have yet again parachuted an outsider into a by-election, this time choosing to run the Mayor from Glenelg in the southern electorate of Black.
The Mayor from Glenelg, Liberal candidate Amanda Wilson, does not live in Black, she lives almost 14 kilometres away from the heart of Black in Glenelg South.
By contrast, Labor’s candidate for Black, Alex Dighton, lives in Hallett Cove, in the heart of the electorate of Black, which also includes suburbs such as Sheidow Park, Trott Park, Marino and Seaview Downs.
The Liberals have form running outsiders in by-elections, infamously preselecting Anna Finizio for the Dunstan by-election in the eastern suburbs, despite Finizio running in the western suburbs electorate of Hindmarsh less than two years earlier where she spruiked her strong connection to the western suburbs.
Incredibly, the Liberals just recently launched an extraordinary attack on the Mayor from Glenelg and her Council regarding massive council rate increases.
In July, the SA Liberals including former Leader of the Opposition and current Member for Black, David Speirs, Federal Candidate for Boothby Nicolle Flint and senior Tarzia frontbencher Stephen Patterson attacked the Mayor from Glenelg saying the proposed massive council rate hike was “just too much for the local community to bear”.
The Mayor from Glenelg defended the increase which has resulted in Council Rates increasing by 7.1% and resulting in ratepayers paying on average an extra $126.
At the time, State Opposition leader David Speirs and current Member for Black said the council needed to “pull its head in”.
The 7.1% increase was the second highest metro council increase in the State.
Despite the SA Liberals attacking her only a few months ago, fledgling SA Liberal Leader Vincent Tarzia now wants to impose the Mayor from Glenelg on the electorate of Black.
As put by Stephen Mullighan
The Liberals have done it again, this time choosing the Mayor from Glenelg.
They clearly learnt nothing from the Dunstan by-election, where they ran an outsider who spruiked her strong connection to the western suburbs.
Now they are parachuting the Mayor from Glenelg into Hallett Cove.
The contrast is clear, with Labor’s candidate Alex Dighton and his wife who are raising their 5-year-old son in their Hallett Cove home.
The people of Black will have a clear choice in the by-election – a true local in Alex Dighton or the Mayor from Glenelg.
