This includes details of all the candidates we know of so far. We will add details when we receive more information. Candidates have until September 22 to nominate.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The descriptions are written in-house by The Courier staff. This list is alphabetical and the biographies will be limited to a maximum of 100 words for each candidate, excluding any links to further information.
Belinda Coates
The first time an endorsed candidate of the Greens Party was ever elected to Ballarat City Council happened in 2012, when Belinda Coates was elected as one of three councillors for the Central Ward.
A former social worker, Ms Coates has twice served as deputy mayor, including in the final year of this council.
The current chair of the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance, she has been an outspoken advocate for First Nations people.
John Dooley
A resident of Soldiers Hill, Mr Dooley moved to Ballarat with his wife in 2017.
He is a member of the Liberal Party.
His campaign is being run by Timothy Vo, who stood for election as the Liberal Party candidate in the Federal Elections last year.
Currently working as a sales representative for an electrical wholesaler, Mr Dooley says his focus is on supporting local and medium sized businesses.
Mark Harris
Mark Harris first served as a councillor in 2008, including a year as mayor in the final year of that council term.
He was voted out in the council elections of 2012 but stood again successfully in 2016.
He is a long-serving emergency doctor in Ballarat, has served as a Major in the Medical Corps and with the United Nations to Timor for emergency evacuation.
An independent councillor, he was born and raised in the Mount Pleasant area of the city.
He sits in the board of the Art Gallery of Ballarat.
Geoff Howard
A familiar face in local politics, Mr Howard was a long-serving member of state parliament, having been elected to represent Ballarat East back in 1999.
He retired from representing Buninyong (the district that largely replaced Ballarat East after boundaries were re-aligned in 2014) at the 2018 state elections.
He has previous experience as a councillor, including a stint as mayor in 1993/4, before he went into state politics.
He was a secondary school teacher before he became a full-time politician.
He has lived in the Ballarat area since the early 1980s.
Stephen Jones
One of four former mayors to put their hat in the ring for this local election, Stephen Jones is attempting a return to local government after 12 years.
He was mayor for the final year of council in the term ending in 2008, and was voted out in elections that year.
He is on the committee of the Eureka Stockade Memorial Park.
Samantha McIntosh
A high profile local politician, Ms McIntosh is aiming for a fourth term on council.
First elected in Central Ward in 2008, she has remained an ever-present in the council chamber since.
Voted in as mayor for three consecutive years during this council, she is known for her advocacy of the city's heritage.
Ms McIntosh is a Liberal Party member, and fought Ballarat as the endorsed Federal Election candidate in 2007.
She grew up in Stawell, and, after training as a nurse, she worked as a real estate agent. She has four adult children.
Nick Shady
A familiar face in local politics, part-time grain farmer Nick Shady stood against Catherine King as an independent in last year's federal elections. He has also previously stood for council.
He is a known as an advocate for men's mental health.
He lives in Newington and cites one of his major concerns as the activation of the CBD.
He was once a member of the local Liberal Party but is standing as an independent candidate this time.
Kumuda Simpson
A former politics lecturer at LaTrobe University, Ms Simpson now works a policy advisor for Natural Resources Management and has also worked in public policy for the state government.
Having made the move from Melbourne with her husband, Ms Simpson has a daughter and a son who are growing up in Ballarat.
A committed unionist, she decided to enter local politics after feeling overwhelmed at the scale of challenges facing the community with climate change - advocating that positive change starts at grassroots level.
Ms Simpson is running as an endorsed Labor Party candidate.
If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thankyou very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.
