Clare Campbell, Jan Lewis, Jay Hockey, Alex Sleeman.
Photos: Denmark Bulletin
Patricia Gill, Denmark Bulletin
Forty-six per cent of voters turned out on October 18 in the Shire of Denmark elections in which local GP Alex Sleeman stormed home to victory with 1024 primary votes.
In second place on primaries, was incumbent deputy shire president Jan Lewis on 368 and third, sitting councillor Clare Campbell, 279.
In fourth place for the four vacant council seats was Serena Kirby with 196 and Jay Hockey, 182.
Ms Kirby was placed fifth after the distribution of preferences with Mr Hockey declared elected.
Also knocked out of the race was Paul Healey and Julie Marsh, and sitting councillors Donna Carman and Jackie Ormsby.
The four newly-elected councillors will serve four-year terms.
They join councillors Kingsley Gibson, Dominic Youel, Janine Phillips, Nathan Devenport and Aaron Wiggins in the nine-member council.
The 46 per cent turnout is well above the State average of 30-32 per cent with Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley warning of an introduction of compulsory voting if numbers continued to plummet.
In the 2023 Shire of Denmark elections there was a 45 per cent turnout. Ms Beazley also foreshadowed the introduction of four-year elections.
She said local government was the level of government closest to the people.
A lot of what the community saw in their everyday life and the services that they got were provided by councils.
“They’re a really important level of government and it’s really important that the community is involved,” she said.
Ms Beazley would like to consult on introducing four-year full spill elections to replace the current two-year half spill model to address voter fatigue and enliven the process.
In the Denmark election Councillors Carman and Ormsby were thanked for their dedicated service and contributions to the community during their terms.
The positions of shire president and deputy shire president were determined at the Denmark Shire Council meeting on Tuesday, October 28.
This article appeared in Denmark Bulletin, 30 October 2025.
