Labor confirms candidates for Lake council election

CAMPAIGN: Lake Macquarie Labor mayor Kay Fraser will be running for a second term in the top job and fifth term on council at the September local government election. Picture: Marina Neil

Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser will be seeking a second term as head of the city and fifth term on council in the upcoming election.

The Labor team for the September 4 local government election also includes another high profile female candidate.

Warners Bay nurse Keara Conroy, the wife of Shortland MP Pat Conroy, will be running in North Ward in place of councillor Barney Langford, who has announced his retirement from council after two terms. This will be the first foray into politics for Ms Conroy, 42, who will be second on the ward ticket.

Another female face on Labor's team is 55-year-old teacher Madeline Bishop, who will contest West Ward for a second time.

Ms Bishop, of Booragul, ran unsuccessfully for Labor in the 2016 council election, but will be elevated from third to second on the party's ticket for this election.

Cr Fraser said she was "very pleased" to have another two women running for the Labor party.

CONTEST: Warners Bay nurse Keara Conroy, the wife of Shortland MP Pat Conroy, will run for Labor in the Lake Macquarie council election.

"It's really important we have that diversity," she said.

"Currently three out of 13 councillors are women, which is very disappointing. It doesn't represent our city."

Labor will run a full contingent of 13 candidates in the upcoming election with incumbents leading each of the three wards.

Brian Adamthwaite will be running in North Ward for a third term on council. He had signaled his intention to run for mayor early last year, but the pandemic disrupted those plans.

In West Ward, David Belcher will be seeking a second term, while fellow first term councillors Adam Schultz and deputy mayor Christine Buckley will be contesting North Ward again.

Cr Schultz said the party was hoping to build on its strong showing in the past two elections, where it won five council seats and mayor in each election, to achieve two councillors in each ward along with mayor, which would give the party a complete majority on council.

Cr Fraser, who served three terms as a councillor before being elected mayor in 2016, said she was campaigning on the slogan "building on success" and said shared pathways were a particular focus of hers.

"I am standing to continue sound financial management, strong leadership and stability," Cr Fraser said.

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