Wollongong ratepayers may have the choice of six candidates for lord mayor at next Saturday's local government elections, but make no mistake, this is a two-horse race, pitting the old guard against the new.
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Rewind the clock 10 years and Wollongong was on its knees.
The fallout of the 2008 ICAC corruption scandal had decimated the city both spiritually and politically. The Labor-heavy council had been sacked and replaced by three government-appointed administrators, who, while efficient, were not known for their willingness to listen to ratepayers.
Wollongong was crying out for the return of publicly elected leaders.
Enter Reverend Gordon Bradbery.
In a region that bleeds Labor red, the election of an independent Uniting Church minister as the city's lord mayor at the September 2011 council elections was a revelation, although not entirely surprising.
Cr Bradbery had nearly unseated Labor's Noreen Hay in the state election six months earlier, and riding the wave of goodwill that followed, romped to victory in the council elections with 35 per cent of the vote, ahead of Labor's Chris Connor and Liberal candidate John Dorahy.
Still, Cr Bradbery had to earn his stripes. The council chambers on the 12th floor of the Burelli Street building resembled a war scene at times as the newly formed council found its feet and the fledgling lord mayor battled to keep everyone in line.
However, by the end of his first term of office - a long six years - Cr Bradbery was in his element, running a finely oiled machine.
His efforts were rewarded with another solid victory at the 2017 council elections.
At the same time, a new face came onto the council - Labor's Tania Brown.
The University of Wollongong executive quickly made a name for herself as a mover and a shaker, a champion on economic development and enterprise who was practical yet innovative.
She was someone who got things done, people said.
In 2019, Cr Brown was elected deputy lord mayor. She hopes to go one better next Saturday.
Both candidates have their strengths and weaknesses. Both would make exceptional leaders for this city.
Voters will have to decide whether they prefer the stability of what they already know, or if it's time for the city to take a leap of faith and forge a new path ahead.
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