A new face has joined Whittlesea council following the Lalor Ward by-election.
Michael Labrador won the by-election, securing 52.43 per cent of votes after the distribution of preferences.
He had finished fourth in the first preference count, with 11.23 per cent of votes.
Long-serving councillor Stevan Kozmevski – who won the October 2024 vote which was voided by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) in May – was the second-placed candidate with 47.57 per cent of votes after preferences were distributed.
Mr Kozmevski had secured the highest number of first preference votes (22.27 per cent).
Cr Labrador said he’s always had an interest in politics.
“I’ve got a lot of strong beliefs and feel like our state is going in the wrong direction,” he said.
“I’m someone who wants to see change and I want to enact that change. That’s the biggest motivator for me.”
In his candidate statement submitted to the Victorian Electoral Commission as part of his nomination for the election, Mr Labrador said he would not accept a councillor’s allowance if elected, and would instead donate the money to local charities
“I haven’t chosen any specific charities yet. I’m going to reinvest into the community. I want to offer to local businesses, groups and individuals through grants posted on my social media pages,” he told Star Weekly following his election to council.
When asked about his plans for the future, Cr Labrador said he wants to save ratepayers money.
“I definitely think there are places where we can trim the fat to save ratepayers a lot of money,” he said.
Cr Labrador also commented on the diversity of his electorate and the lack of community, with a desire to bring people together.
“The electorate I represent is quite diverse, there’s a lot of non-English speaking families and multicultural languages present, but there’s not much community. I definitely want to help build that by engaging with local groups, working with schools and businesses to bring back that community and cohesion,” he said.
