ARARAT Rural City councillor Gwenda Allgood is considering a run for Ripon in the 2018 Victorian election as an independent candidate.
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Cr Allgood told the council meeting on Tuesday last week that she had been approached about standing as a candidate.
“I’m very proud to announce that I’ve actually had the offer of standing as an independent in the next state election,” Cr Allgood told the meeting. “I have not made a decision on this yet.”
Due to Victoria’s fixed terms of government, the next state election is on November 24, 2018.
Cr Allgood later told Fairfax Media she might not announce her decision until required to nominate officially, which can usually be done between two and four weeks from the election.
“I’ve been approached by someone who can give me the support to do it,” she said.
“It is something I would like to do again.”
Cr Allgood said she was not yet able to name the person who had offered to help with her campaign if she nominated.
“I haven’t got back to them yet so it wouldn’t be fair,” she said.
Cr Allgood has previously run for state parliament, standing as a candidate for Ripon at the 1992 election, winning 9.7 per cent of the vote.
It’s possible that Cr Allgood could have a considerable impact on Ripon’s election result if she stood as an independent, as would any candidate outside the major parties.
Ripon’s 2014 election two-party-preferred margin was just 1.6 per cent with the winner, Liberal candidate Louise Staley, receiving 941 fewer primary votes than Labor’s Daniel McGlone.