There is much to unpack following the Liberal Party debacle surrounding nominations for the upcoming Local Government Election.
Firstly though, how absolutely farcical that the Liberals were threatening legal action amid the fiasco, desperately trying to find a way to make up for their own incompetence.
Everyone else who wanted to nominate for Council managed to do it, whether that be Labor, the Greens, minor parties or independents.
The NSW Electoral Commission should be applauded for laughing in the face of the party’s demand for an extension to file candidate nominations.
It would be an attack on the democratic process if they allowed it.
That said, none of this takes away from the fact that many Councils will be worse off as a result of this blunder.
Let’s look at this from an entirely Penrith perspective.
The Liberals did manage to get their paperwork in for North Ward, meaning veteran Ross Fowler is nominated and will likely retain a Liberal presence on Council.
But there are no Liberal candidates in either East or South Ward, meaning Council will be dominated by Labor and Independents.
On first thought, you may say that’s not a bad thing.
But those finding joy in the lack of Liberal candidates need to look a little beyond the surface, even if they aren’t your political cup of tea.
Penrith Council has, quite typically, been trouble-free for pretty much as long as I’ve been reporting on it, dating back close to two decades now.
While we’ve watched other Councils tear themselves apart, whether it be through scandal and corruption, financial mismanagement or party politics, Penrith has always remained solid in terms of Councillor performance and unity.
Even the controversial ‘handshake agreement’ that determines the Mayor and Deputy Mayor each year is an example of the harmony that often exists in the chamber.
With the balance between Labor and Liberal Councillors always pretty even, there has been a Penrith-first mentality on Council and only rarely does party politics play an overly big part in the goings-on of our local Council.
You only need to pop in to an Ordinary Meeting on a Monday night or listen to the live stream to have that proven to you.
Helping with this has been the mix of Independent and minor party candidates who’ve graced Council over the years.
The vast majority of them have provided beneficial input into our city and have ensured an harmonious Council given they hold a significant power balance at times.
There has of course been the odd rogue Councillor over time, providing great headlines and content for a newspaper editor but perhaps not the best representation of Penrith nor Council.
Without any disrespect to those who have put their hand up for Council this year, I do believe the Liberal debacle opens the door for dysfunction.
There will be a significant number of independents elected, while in East Ward all five members of the Labor ticket will get elected.
For those unaware of how these things work, nobody going onto a ticket in fourth or fifth place actually expects to get elected.
It is only through extraordinary circumstances, such as this one, that such a rarity will come to fruition.
In other words, we will end up with a Council that contains Independents who usually wouldn’t have been successful and inexperienced Labor Councillors who never expected to have to block out their calendar on Monday nights for the next four years.
That is not to say they won’t do an excellent job for our city.
But that door to dysfunction will be ajar, no question.
People love Independent candidates but it’s important to note that some of them (certainly not all) have the blinkers on in terms of agenda, which is often OK when there’s only one or two, but when it’s a large number, it could become problematic.
Meanwhile, the general balance between Labor and Liberal has ensured previously that you couldn’t call Penrith a “Labor” or “Liberal” Council; there was very much an element of keeping each other honest.
The loss of experience through this process is the real issue.
Mark Davies, who was to lead the South Ward ticket, has been on Council for 20 years. He knows how the process works, he knows how to get results and he has proven himself many times as a decent and measured Councillor.
Marlene Shipley, who was to lead the East Ward ticket, is so passionate about Penrith and St Marys with an excellent business acumen. Her running mate, Bernard Bratusa, has been at the coalface of Penrith news and issues for more than 30 years.
You can’t lose decades of experience in one go and expect that everything’s going to be fine.
Penrith was already preparing for significant change on Council at the 2028 election, when it was anticipated a number of experienced Councillors would call it a day.
For that change to come so much earlier, and so suddenly, can’t be a good thing.
We will wait and see what unfolds not only in the next few weeks but more importantly, over the next four years.
I hope and pray Penrith’s local political scene remains stable, but I fear this is the start of a problematic period.
Troy Dodds
Troy Dodds is the Weekender's Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia's leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.