Perth Voice Interactive

FORMER Perth lord mayoral candidate Mike O’Hanlon has switched his support from Reece Harley to Lisa Scaffidi.

He initially withdrew from the race because he didn’t want to split the “progressive” vote between himself and Mr Harley in the first past the post race.

“With Reece in charge we can look forward to a far more transparent local government and that means better opportunities for everybody,” he’d said when pulling out.

Mr O’Hanlon even donated advertising space he’d booked to Mr Harley (which has been repaid following the support switch). On Friday he posted a statement advising of his change of heart.

“If this surprises you half as much as it surprised me, you’ll be bloody surprised,” he wrote.

“I have put a bunch of effort into thinking about the role of mayor in this city.

“Reece and I have a lot in common and my decision to step aside was made with the intention to support his campaign.

“Indeed, I gifted Reece some advertising that I’d paid for. I think he is a good guy.

“I met with Lisa the other day to speak about the future of the city. We agree about some things. We disagree about some other things.

“I’ll continue to get in Lisa’s ear about the things that I think need to change but this election, I’ll be voting for Lisa Scaffidi.”

Mr O’Hanlon explained that since pulling out of the race he’d shifted his perspective from that of a candidate to that of a voter.

“I started to think critically about both candidates. My day- to-day responsibilities and the concerns of the people that work with me, here at 143 Barrack Street.”

He says the issues Cr Harley is raising — cutting red tape and licence fees for alfresco dining and supporting a more bike-friendly city — are small fry compared to “the core issue of what this city needs to do, to salvage the current situation regarding the big fat fucking dip in our economy”.

“I’m up to my neck in personal financial risk, associated with technology-related ventures,” he says. “I want the sort of mayor that understands the value of these projects… that create world-class jobs right here in Perth. The tech sector will fill the gap that iron ore has left, but only if it is nurtured correctly. If we miss this opportunity, I fear that we’ll lose a lot.”

No problem

He says, “I have no problem with Reece. People are asking me ‘what did he do’ or ‘what happened’. What happened is, I thought about the issue further and decided to make a statement reflecting new information that had come to hand. The city has a $2 billion balance sheet. I’m voting for the mayor that will best address the concerns of myself and people like me.”

Regarding the findings of the CCC against Ms Scaffidi, he says, “the whole Beijing thing is an embarrassment for everybody”.

“Sometimes I think City of Perth should be called City of Facepalm. I don’t think any of it is cool. I think the issue is serious but the situation is workable. To me, that fucking cactus thing at Forrest Place is a bigger crime. That bloody thing cost us a million bucks.”

He says more transparency and accountability is needed but people should save their outrage for bigger issues like coal and torture.

Mr O’Hanlon had offered Ms Scaffidi the remaining advertising space he had booked but she declined it, saying she’d “prefer you give them to a worthy cause”.

by DAVID BELL