Clover Moore has claimed a historic sixth term as the Sydney lord mayor despite a swing against her in a campaign she described as the “toughest” of her career.
The longtime independent secured another four years in the top job on Saturday evening, declaring victory in front of supporters at the Arthouse hotel in Sydney’s CBD.
There were 10 candidates on the mayoral ballot. Moore, 78, said the final result could still be some time off but declared that she was “winning in every booth” before claiming outright success to the Guardian a short time later.
Moore said: “What a campaign it has been – I think the toughest campaign I’ve ever had. There was a really concerted campaign to try and get rid of me.”
She thanked the community for the support, “notwithstanding all the misinformation, all the awful things that happened on this campaign”.
The lord mayor said she would focus on climate change, affordable housing and revitalising Chinatown and Oxford Street in her sixth term.
Asked on Sunday if she would stand for another term, Moore told reporters: “I don’t think there will be … I’ve just won this one, so let me enjoy it.”
Voters across New South Wales headed to the polls for the local government elections on Saturday. The votes were being closely watched after the polls made national headlines when the state Liberal party disastrously failed to nominate 140 candidates in 16 councils.
About a quarter of eligible residents voted in pre-polling. Counting began at 6pm when the polls closed.
By 10pm on Saturday, Moore had 36% of the primary vote, down from almost 43% in 2021. She said that, based on preference flows from previous elections, she was expected to win.
The Sydney MP Alex Greenwich stood beside Moore and her “independent” team as she addressed the crowd after keeping supporters across the results as they rolled in throughout the evening. He thanked volunteers who “copped negatively from random weirdos” while monitoring the booths.
Despite the sizeable swing, Moore comfortably beat her opponents.
Labor’s Zann Maxwell was sitting on about 17% of the primary on Saturday evening, followed by the Greens candidate Sylvie Ellsmore who enjoyed a swing of about 6% from the last election.
Ellsmore said: “It’s clear that the people of the city of Sydney want our council to step up and start using their wealth and influence to deliver more affordable and accessible housing for our community.”
She will return to the council with the Greens hoping to secure a second spot in Town Hall.
Moore was among 37 mayors up for election on Saturday. The Liberals’ bungling of nominations will likely result in Penrith, Camden, Northern Beaches, Lane Cove, Wollongong and Blue Mountains councils shifting to the left – although the Liberals could win seats in Parramatta.
Labor had a clear majority in Penrith with the Libertarian Party picking up enough votes to secure up to two seats in the absence of the Liberals.
“If those numbers stay steady, Labor’s going to get a clear majority, but there’s going be just as many Libertarians on the council as Liberals,” election analyst Ben Raue said.
Early counting in Parramatta indicated the Liberals could pick up at least five seats and Our Local Community had been wiped out, Raue said.
In Sydney’s fast-growing south-west, voters in the Liverpool council looked to have backed incumbent Liberal mayor Ned Mannoun following a well-publicised fight with the Labor state government.
Labor had attempted to address alleged serious maladministration and dysfunction in the council and defer elections, only to run out of time due to the mayor’s legal challenges.
Earlier on Saturday, Moore apologised to her Indigenous political opponent Yvonne Weldon after one of Moore’s volunteers was accused of removing corflutes outside the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence in Redfern.
Weldon posted a video recorded by one of her team members of a man who had allegedly taken down the corflutes to make way for Moore’s banners. Moore apologised and said it should not have happened.
Shortly before polls closed, Weldon said she was proud of the “positive and community-led campaign” she ran. She was on track for about 11% of the primary vote.
The acting NSW electoral commissioner, Dr Matthew Phillips, said: “Our staff will have a very long day today after starting early and are about to start a long night of counting.”
– Additional reporting by AAP
