IN a shock decision, Cr Mick Van de Vreede will not stand for nomination in this year’s Knox Council elections.
Council nominations for the nine wards in Knox closed at midday today and there was a late rush of new nominees to contest the October elections.
Cr Van de Vreede was elected unopposed during the 2008 elections and has been a councillor since 2003.
He was a long-time advocate for affordable housing and better public transport in Knox, as well as on environmental issues.
He previously told the Weekly he would recontest to represent Tirhatuan ward, which takes in Scoresby and Rowville.
Instead new faces Nicole Seymour, Phillip Kelly and Glenda Frost will vie to fill the the single vacancy in Tirhatuan ward.
In another interesting development, former Baird ward councillor Peter Cole will now stand for Scott ward — currently held by Cr David Cooper, who has recontested for the same ward along with newcomer Dwayne Lawless.
It’s a two-horse race in Taylor ward with youth advocate Anthony Osborne taking on sitting councillor Darren Pearce. There has often been a heated exchange between the pair during public question time at council meetings.
Friberg ward — which takes in Knoxfield and Upper Ferntree Gully — has the biggest field of nominees with five candidates taking on incumbent Andrew Walter. Tony Holland, Blair Darragh, Lisa Cooper, Tony Richardson and Deborah Rogers will all contest the seat on October 27.
Cr Sue McMillan has decided not to recontest Dobson ward, which has attracted three nominees.
They include former mayor and long-time councillor Karin Orpen, David Mutch, who has been heavily involved in the Save the Glenfern Green Wedge campaign, and Gabrielle Verstraete.
There has been plenty of controversy in the Boronia-centric Baird ward with development and the implementation of the Boronia Structure Plan stirring debate.
Anthony Searle of Appropriate Development for Boronia will stand, as will Dean Cottier, Garrie James, Bernhard Hoefer and Peter Lockwood.
Sitting councillor John Mortimore will be up against Mark Harbert for Chandler ward.
The municipality is made up of nine wards, each represented by a single councillor.
But if you’re in Dinsdale or Collier wards, there will be no need to vote — mayor Adam Gill and Cr Joe Cossari were both uncontested in their bids, and as such will be re-elected unopposed.
The council goes into caretaker mode at midnight tonight after the final council meeting at 7pm.
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