Blanco wins confidence as town’s mayor

Former Town of Port Hedland acting mayor Camilo Blanco will step into the role of mayor full-time this week, after his election last Saturday night.

Mr Blanco was the clear frontrunner for the position, receiving 820 votes, more than 350 votes ahead of runner-up Bill Dziombak.

Speaking to theNorth West Telegraph after his win, Mr Blanco said he was happy with the “clear victory” and the overwhelming support he had received.

“First and foremost, the council and mayor represents the best interests of Hedland and its people,” he said.

“My job as mayor is to ensure that that’s our priority.

“I don’t have time to celebrate any mayoral election, the people of Hedland clearly agree with the action taken so far.

“The next few years will be exciting times for this town.”

Mr Blanco said there were many things on his agenda after the extraordinary election, including addressing the dust issues in the West End, perfecting the business plan for the Spoilbank Marina and addressing alcohol-related antisocial behaviour in the town.

More than 1700 people voted in the weekend’s extraordinary election, 379 votes more than received in the by-election held in April.

Candidate Richard Whitwell received 244 votes, while George Daccache received 222 votes.

Mr Blanco will be at the forefront of the council for just 11 months before the current term expires, giving him a chance to show voters what he is made of, before they return to the polls again.

The weekend’s vote, which was spurred by the resignation of Kelly Howlett in August, was the third poll in just over a year, costing ratepayers $83,000.

In that same time period, there has been a 23 per cent increase in the number of electors enrolled to vote in the Town of Port Hedland.