The makeup of the new Mid-Western Regional Council is taking shape with a mixture of old and new faces rounding out the lineup as the vote count nears completion.
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The NSW Electoral Commission won't begin declaring any candidates elected until 20 December but a number of candidates are sure to be declared at this point.
Garnering the most votes, Des Kennedy confirmed he will stand for his former position of Mayor and said he's happy with the result so far but hoped more of his team could have garnered more votes.
Of the votes counted so far, Mudgee's informal vote rate sits at just below 10 per cent, meaning one in every ten votes will not count, something Des said is partly a result of the changes that prevented candidates from handing out flyers.
"For some reason, we weren't allowed to give them out this year," he said.
Honestly can't say I was expecting to poll higher than the last election with significantly more candidates in the mix.
- Paul Cavalier
"And it was always going to happen, I'm surprised it's only 10 per cent. And hence group 'A' this time was a big call to draw barrier. The 'A' box was going to - you're guaranteed 400 or 500 extra votes because people just aren't sure what to do. So they just put a 1 under Group A and away they go, they've ticked the box they won't get a $55 fine."
He said he's looking forward to working with councillors new and former and is pleased to see some new faces with new ideas.
Ungrouped candidate Paul Cavalier who earned a strong 10 per cent of the vote said he was happy with his results and confirmed he will be running for the mayoral position this term but isn't yet sure if it will be at the next Council meeting.
"[I] honestly can't say I was expecting to poll higher than the last election with significantly more candidates in the mix, or to hit the quota without relying on preferences to get me across the line. It's actually quite a strange feeling," he said.
"I appreciate so many people putting their trust in me, and have every intention of working hard on all of the priorities I outlined during the election campaign."
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Former Deputy Mayor, Sam Paine said he's glad to be back after a close race.
"I'm looking forward to being part of the new council after an election that was pretty tight for me," he said. "It's always nice at the polling booths to spend some time with the other candidates and get a feel for what the new council will be like."
Another returning councillor, Percy Thompson said he's eager to get back to it.
"I'm pleased because I like helping people. My wife said I should run again because I've got more time than I ever have to do it," he said.
"People say if they want something done, ring up Percy Thompson.
This is the ninth time I've been elected so I must be doing something right."
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