City of Albany council to feature four fresh faces from field of 22 candidates

Four new faces will join the City of Albany council and two long-serving councillors will hold onto their seats after a tough local government election race featuring a field of 22 candidates. Some of the candidates were joined by family and friends in the council chambers on Saturday night as the vote counting stretched past 8pm. The biggest upset of the night came in the Kalgan ward, where newcomer Thomas Brough (1086 votes) toppled incumbent councillor Emma Doughty (514) by more than double the votes. The Napier tree farmer, emergency doctor and volunteer firefighter secured the most votes out of all 22 candidates. Mr Brough said he was grateful for the support from the community and hoped he could represent everyone in his ward. “I feel a combination of excitement and enthusiasm but also a real sense of the responsibility of trying my best to represent the people of the Kalgan ward,” he said. “I think I want to take a little bit of time to go with the flow and understand the council processes and then I am just interested in bringing the issues that have been brought to me to the table for discussion, and there’s heaps of them.” Two-time City of Kalgoorlie Boulder councillor and Aurora Magazine editor Amanda Cruse came out on top in the Breaksea ward, beating four other candidates with 365 votes or 26.64 per cent of the vote. She was embraced by her two-sons, Maxwell, 11, and Daniel, 9, as the official results were confirmed by WA Electoral Commission returning officer Sally Thomas on Saturday night. “I am thrilled to be elected and I feel very grateful that the people of Breaksea have trusted me to represent them, and my kids were pretty proud so that felt good,” she said. Historian and educator Malcolm Traill sailed to victory early in the night in Frederickstown with 724 votes, followed by Anthony McCormick on 524. A seat in the Frederickstown ward has been vacant since March, when Albany MP Rebecca Stephens resigned to serve in State Parliament. Albany’s bicentenary in 2026 is set to be a key focus for Mr Traill, who said he was excited and ready for the challenge. “Planning for the bicentenary is my thing and I think that is going to keep me occupied for the next four years and keep me working on that, so we will have a celebration and commemoration we can all be proud of,” he said. After contesting the March State election as the Nationals WA’s first community preselected candidate, Delma Baesjou topped a strong field of six candidates vying for one seat in Vancouver ward. The town planner secured the support of 26 per cent of voters with 410 votes, followed by Baldjamaar Foundation chief executive Damien Yarran on 291. “It is a place that people want to be because this council is moving forward and doing positive things,” she said. “It is always much easier to be a part of something that is successful than something that is stagnating. It is a really exciting time.” Ms Baesjou said a priority going forward would be to update and adapt strategies to move more quickly on climate change and to tackle the region’s housing shortage. City of Albany Council incumbents and stalwarts Robert Sutton and Alison Goode comfortably secured their place for another four years. Cr Sutton will start his 13th year on the council after securing 56.57 per cent of the vote in the Yakamia ward against Jamie Scally. Former City of Albany mayor Alison Goode will continue her decades-long run on the council after receiving 51.37 per cent of the vote in a field of four candidates in West ward . Breaksea ward Cr Ray Hammond and Vancouver ward Cr Tracy Sleeman did not recontest after 13 and four years of service respectively. This year delivered a lower overall voter turnout across Albany’s six wards with an average of 33 per cent, compared with 34.66 per cent in 2019.