TWICE a week Phyllis Barras, 95, gets along to Perth Tai Chi Academy classes at Bethanie on the Park retirement village. The Voice managed to squeeze in a photo shoot between the Menora resident’s regular bridge games and golfing sessions. The academy runs the sessions at the village to help older folks maintain balance…

THERE’LL be no Leederville farmers’ markets this month, with operators deciding they couldn’t meet Vincent city council’s conditions and remain viable. Markets owner Paul Ashbolt has described the outcome as a “train wreck”. But mayor John Carey says the council’s already in talks with a non-profit outfit looking at a market in the same spot.…

THE driver of a council street sweeper that crashed into a house in Maylands has been released from Royal Perth hospital. The driver suffered a “medical episode” and ploughed into the garage of a two-storey home on Tourer Court last Thursday. “We understand that the driver is out of the hospital and is recuperating at…

  IT’S a big field for this year’s Vincent council elections, with five people seeking the two spots in north ward, seven gunning for the two in south and three running for mayor. The mayoral trio are incumbent John Carey, Leederville cafe owner Debbie Saunders and small business owner and “big L Liberal” Malcolm Boyd.…

NINE candidates, including all four incumbents, want to squeeze into four vacancies at Perth city council, while two go head to head for lord mayor. As has been widely reported, incumbent lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi is being challenged by councillor Reece Harley for the top job. Surprisingly, no other candidates popped up at the last…

HAVING retired from Vincent council two years ago but spending many a Tuesday night in the public gallery ever since, Dudley Maier is making a formal comeback bid, seeking election to south ward. Mr Maier was on council from 2005 to 2013 and earned a reputation as having an eye for detail with financial matters.…

VETERAN councillor Barry McKenna is gearing up to challenge Sylvan Albert for Bayswater’s mayoral chains — assuming Cr Albert wins his ward. A councillor for 24 years, deputy mayor under Terry Kenyon and a freeman of the city, Cr McKenna says “I’ll see if I have the numbers to run” once the dust settles from…

GIOVANNI ITALIANO says if he is re-elected to Stirling’s Osborne ward at the October elections he will seek a second term as mayor. In Stirling the mayor is a councillor, chosen by councillors every two years. At this stage no-one is set to seriously challenge him for the job. “We had the lowest rates rise…

AN 81-year-old candidate for Stirling council has described as “a disgrace” the removal of an off-peak discount for seniors and students to the Terry Tyzack Aquatic Centre. Amrik Pala, who is contesting Inglewood ward, says “we should be encouraging seniors to exercise so they are healthy and reduce the burden on the health system”. The…

PERTH city council’s CEO and his team of media handlers — who are paid by the public to liaise with the media — seem to be blackballing the Perth Voice because they don’t like our coverage of the council, and particularly of lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi. CEO Gary Stevenson is flat-out refusing to answer any…