City’s new councillors officially announced

Belinda Coates, Samantha McIntosh, Amy Johnson, Des Hudson and Jim Rinaldi all went to the election as sitting councillors and were reelected.

While Mark Harris and Ben Taylor have previously served as councillors.

However, it will be the first council term for two new north ward candidates Daniel Moloney and Grant Tillett.

Results were officially declared in the Ballarat Town Hall’s Trench Room by Victorian Electoral Commission returning officer Colin Nicholson on Wednesday. 

Mr Moloney said he was “bursting with energy” and optimistic about getting started in his role as a councillor since being voted in at the weekend.

“For Grant and I in particular, there is going to be a bit of a learning curve,” Mr Moloney said.

“However, both of us have already had a lot to do with the council over the years so I am just really eager to get officially sworn in as a councillor and get started.”

At the top of Mr Moloney’s agenda was securing more employment opportunities for people residing in Ballarat to work in the city.

He estimated about 10 per cent of the population commuted to Melbourne for work every day.

“That’s tens of millions of dollars lost to our city each year,” he said.

Mr Moloney said reactivating the derelict Civic Hall site and a enticing state government office to the city was critical.  

“The Civic Hall site needs to be open as soon as possible, it’s an embarrassment it has gone on this long,” he said.

“The conversations on the site have been had and now it is time to get moving.”

Mr Moloney said the people of Ballarat had voted and it was up to the new team of councillors to act in their best interests. 

“If we can take away anything from this election, it’s that Ballarat doesn’t necessarily want massive change because let’s face it five councillors were returned,” he said.

“However, I think the clear message coming through was for the council to stop dithering on major projects and start showing some action.”

The council’s chief executive Justine Linley formally welcomed the new team of councillors.

“The next four years of your life will be filled with challenges, achievement, opportunities, lots of reading and a great deal of public scrutiny,” she said.

All councillors will be officially sworn during a ceremony at a special council meeting at the Town Hall on Monday night.