by Cam Lucadou-Wells
Former mayors Lana Formoso and Sean O’Reilly look nearly assured of returning to council, according to the latest election count.
However, the Springvale Central vote looks to be a three-way cliffhanger, with still Group B primaries and preferences to be counted.
As of this afternoon, there were just 39 votes splitting Labor member and real estate agent Alice Phuong Le (1486 votes), architect Minh Le (1466) and Labor member and migration agent Meng Bunlay (1447).
Other candidates are Hor Truong (536), Brian Dalton (867) and Socialist candidate Sean Stebbings (368).
In Noble Park North Ward, Formoso – an ALP member who served as mayor in 2023-’24 – has claimed 56 per cent of the vote (3450 votes) against independents Will Billings (1803), Love Agravante (459) and Karl Rathnayake (401).
Meanwhile, O’Reilly – a long-serving councillor and ALP member – was also comfortably leading in Springvale North, with 46.8 per cent of the primary vote so far.
With 74 per cent of the vote counted, O’Reilly was on 2644 votes, ahead of independents Angela Holl (1948) and Huong Dinh (1064).
So far, at least five Labor-affiliated councillors appear to be provisionally re-elected on the 11-member council – Formoso, O’Reilly, Phillip Danh (Yarraman), Jim Memeti (Dandenong) and Sophie Tan (elected unopposed in Noble Park).
Labor candidates are also in the mix in Springvale Central and Cleeland Ward, which is a neck-and-neck tussle between Greens ex-councillor Rhonda Garad (1756) and ALP incumbent Angela Long (1575).
Independent incumbent Bob Milkovic (Dandenong North) as well as independent Melinda Yim (Keysborough) and Greens candidate Isabella Do (Keysborough South) also are strongly ahead.
Springvale South Ward’s vote count is expected to begin tomorrow (1 November).
