AN UNFORTUNATE oversight has seen the Greens candidates omitted from the upcoming Lake Macquarie City Council election.
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The Greens will not have candidates in the September 10 poll because the party’s would-be mayoral candidate didn’t realise the deposit for candidates needed to be paid in cash or by cheque.
Paying by card was not an option.
And as a result, Jane Oakley was five minutes late submitting their nomination.
Ms Oakley told the Newcastle Herald she was “gutted” her party had missed the 12pm nomination deadline last Wednesday.
She said she took responsibility for the oversight in paying the required candidates’ deposits.
“I did a dash to the bank and by the time I got back it was too late,” Ms Oakley told the Newcastle Herald.
“There was about five minutes in it.”
The Greens’ ticket in Lake Macquarie would have featured Ms Oakley as a mayoral candidate for the North Ward, and leading candidates Wylie Campbell and Fiona Moore in the East and West wards respectively. They will not appeal.
In West Ward, Cr Wendy Harrison’s group of Independent candidates has drawn top position on the ballot paper.
Next in West Ward will be the Liberal Party’s candidates, headed by Cr Jason Pauling.
The Labor group is third on the paper, led by David Belcher.
The new Lake Mac Independents Group, headed by Luke Cubis, is fourth.
The mayoral candidates will appear on the ballot paper in this order: Laurie Coghlan (Independent) John Gilbert (Lake Mac Independents), Kay Fraser (Labor), Luke Cubis (Lake Mac Independents), Jason Pauling (Liberal) and Colin Grigg (Lake Mac Independents).
