Perth Voice Interactive

AN extraordinary election will be held in Bayswater to fill mayor Filomena Piffaretti’s old council seat at an estimated cost of $48,000.

Ms Piffaretti was a sitting councillor when she was running for mayor at October’s election, but resigned just five days before comfortably winning the mayoral vote.

If Ms Piffaretti hadn’t resigned then the seat left vacant by her ascension to mayor would have been “backfilled” without another election: A clause in the Local Government Act allowed for the candidate with the next-most votes to be appointed to any seat left empty by a victorious mayor.

In this case the replacement would’ve been Sally Palmer, an outspoken former councillor who’s often clashed with the mayor. Instead Ms Piffaretti’s impeccably timed resignation means Ms Palmer is now off council entirely, preserving the mayor’s balance of power for now.

At the October 31 meeting councillors queried if there was any other way to fill the spot (or simply delete that seat) without having to go through an expensive extraordinary election.

Legislation

But council staff have gone through the legislation with a fine-tooth comb and consulted with the WA Department of Local Government and have found no other option.

After searching out earliest plausible dates and avoiding public holidays, the extraordinary election has been scheduled for March 15.

The WA Electoral Commission hasn’t been able to provide an exact price tag for running the election, but Bayswater staff estimate it’ll cost ratepayers about $48,000 all up including the necessary notices and staff costs. 

That’s offset a bit by not having to pay an empty seat the $2,746 monthly sitting fee in the meantime. 

by DAVID BELL