Clover Moore is set for her THIRD DECADE in charge of Sydney as she shrugs off four women challengers for the Lord Mayor's role - but there's been a massive swing against her in Covid-delayed election
- Clover Moore set for an historic fifth term after 17 years as Sydney's Lord Mayor
- Another four year term will take her into her third decade in control of Town Hall
- She was challenged for role by four women rivals insisting it was time for change
- Early counts showed a 15 per cent swing against her compared to 2016 landslide
Sydney's Lord Mayor Clover Moore looks likely to extend her reign at the top to an astonishing 20+ years despite a swing against her as NSW went to the polls on Saturday.
Ms Moore - famous for her dog collar-style silver choker necklace - is set to secure a record fifth term despite losing votes to Labor rival Linda Scott and Independent Indigenous Australian, Yvonne Weldon.
The battle for the Lord Mayor role was fought between five women candidates all vying to take control of Town Hall in elections which were twice delayed by Covid.
The final result is unlikely to come through before Monday, but an early count of around 16 per cent of the vote showed Ms Moore on 42 per cent of first preferences, ahead of Ms Weldon and Ms Scott with both on around 16 per cent.
Sydney's Lord Mayor Clover Moore (pictured centre) looks likely to extend her reign at the top to an astonishing 20+ years despite a swing against her as NSW went to the polls on Saturday
Clover Moore (pictured) - famous for her dog collar-style silver choker necklace - is set to secure a record fifth term despite losing votes to Labor rival Linda Scott and Independent Indigenous Australian, Yvonne Weldon
While the early result suggests a swing against her of nearly 15 per cent, that's compared to her landslide win in 2016, when she won almost 58 per cent of the vote.
Ms Moore told supporters on Saturday night: 'This has meant we are going to continue with strong, independent, progressive leadership for the city.
'We should know more on Monday night when the iVotes come in.'
The independent politician has four decades of public service under her belt, 17 of them as Sydney's Lord Mayor - and another four-year term win will see her start her third decade in that role.
But Ms Moore says her work is far from done.
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'We have been able to achieve so much but we have a lot more to do,' she said on Saturday.
She cited a list including the council's goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2035, growing green spaces across the city, improving access to social and affordable housing, and repairing the CBD's economy and council's own coffers post COVID.
The race for the mayoralty of Sydney was one of more than 120 elections across the state on Saturday.
It was an all female field, with many of Ms Moore's opponents arguing it was time for a changing of the guard at Town Hall.
The battle for the Lord Mayor role was fought between five women candidates all vying to take control of Town Hall in elections which were twice delayed by Covid (pictured, Clover Moore)
She was first elected as Lord Mayor in 2004, 16 years after she joined the state parliament in 1988 and managed both roles until 2012, when new legislation forced her to choose between them.
Ms Moore had earlier said aiming to repeat her 2016 landslide victory.
'I never like to say I'm confident, I like to say I'm optimistic,' she said.
Elsewhere in the city, the race for local Mayors was tighter, with Liberal Party veteran Phillip Ruddock one of the few likely to cruise back into his post, with another win looking likely for him at Hornsby.
While the pandemic forced the elections to be postponed twice, it has also seen the NSW Electoral Commission use online voting at local government level for the first time.
While the pandemic forced the elections to be postponed twice, it has also seen the NSW Electoral Commission use online voting at local government level for the first time (pictured, voters line up in Sydney's Surry Hills on Saturday)
But even that has not been without disruption, with the website crashing as a result of heavy traffic, and in turn seeing lines at polling centres swell.
The NSW Electoral Commission said more than 650,000 voters had cast their ballot using its iVote system for these elections, compared to 234,401 for the 2019 state poll.
Any eligible elector who missed out on voting because of the system crash won't be fined, it said.
Sausage sizzles and cake stands were allowed at polling stations across the state despite Covid restrictions.
