Tight election sees some new faces and old friends for Derby-West Kimberley

An extremely close Shire of Derby-West Kimberley election has seen a mix of incumbent councillor and fresh faces chosen to lead the “troubled” region. Peter McCumstie (402 votes), Geoff Davis (363 votes), Lynette Evans (357 votes), Geoff Haerewa (352 votes), and Andrew Twaddle (345 votes), will fill the five vacant seats, with former Shire of Broome councillor Anne Poelina missing out by just two votes. Incumbent Shire president Geoff Haerewa said despite not polling too highly he was honoured to be re-elected and looked forward to continuing work to increase what the region has to offer. “When I came into council we were in a pretty poor financial position, which we’ve worked very hard to change over the last few years,” Cr Haerewa, pictured, said. “There is still work to do, but I think the Shire has a much more positive outlook than what we did years ago. “My number one priority going into this term is to attract new employers to the region — whether that be small business or large resource companies like Sheffield Resources.” Cr Haerewa said aside from job creation, youth crime was one of the most pressing issues which must be addressed by council. “It’s no secret the West Kimberley is a pretty troubled region — it’s not secret the crime is getting out of control,” he said. “We will need to really keep the pressure on the State Government to do more to address the problems in both Derby and in Fitzroy Crossing. “While it isn’t necessarily a local government responsibility, it’s a problem that’s having impacts beyond just safety. “It’s stopping business coming to town and it’s scaring people out of town — it needs action.” At time of print a president and deputy president had not been selected, however, Mr Haerewa said he would like to continue on at the helm.