Media release – Greens announce new candidates for local elections 

12th June 2024

Blue Mountains Greens are pleased to announce new candidates for Wards 3 and 4 in the upcoming September 2024 local government elections. These candidates will join the two current Councillors Sarah Redshaw in Ward 1 and Brent Hoare in Ward 2 to form a strong and united new Greens team across the mountains.

In Ward 3, Sarah O’Carrigan is standing for election to council to represent the communities of Faulconbridge, Springwood, Winmalee, Hawkesbury Heights, Valley Heights and Yellow Rock. The previous candidate Hayley Stone withdrew for personal reasons. 

A strong advocate for parents and a local community organiser, Sarah O’Carrigan is an outdoors personal trainer known for her exercise programmes with affordable childcare for mothers and women across the Blue Mountains. Sarah is also the co-founder of Bub Hub Blue Mountains Inc, an innovative co-working with onsite childcare service that was set up in response to the lack of childcare places in the Blue Mountains. 

Sarah said “Having lived here all my life, I’m dedicated to the Blue Mountains. Right now, so many people are struggling with the cost of living. It doesn’t have to be this way.  Economic inequality is a political choice, which is damaging our community’s health and wellbeing. As a renter, I know first hand what it feels like to live with housing insecurity. I will advocate hard for local community-led solutions to the housing crisis. With the Greens, we have a greater chance of ensuring a fairer and caring future. It will be a privilege to represent Ward 3.” 

In Ward 4, Billy Gruner is standing for election to Council to represent the communities of Warrimoo, Mt Riverview, Glenbrook, Blaxland and Lapstone.

Billy Gruner has worked for many years as an arts academic, writer, curator and administrator, and has lived in the Blue Mountains for over a decade. A longtime member of the Labor Party, Billy joined the Greens earlier this year as a result of his growing frustration with State and Federal Labor’s support for the Western Sydney Airport and lack of action on a wide range of environment and climate issues. 

Billy said: “I joined the Greens to see change happen in the here and now. It’s very simple, our environment and community must be prioritised over corporate interests. The Greens position has always been that Western Sydney Airport should never have been built. The major parties didn’t listen to the sustainable transport and environmental scientists who argued against putting this carbon and noise pollution megaproject in the Sydney basin. Residents are now going to have to live with the harmful consequences under flight paths. For this and lots of other reasons, don’t reward Labor and Liberal parties with your first preference vote.”

As previously announced, sitting Councillors Sarah Redshaw and Brent Hoare will recontest their positions in the Upper Mountains, Ward 1, and the Mid-Mountains, Ward 2, respectively.

Cr Redshaw said “It is great to have a team to work with and to offer the opportunity for residents in all wards to vote for the Greens. I am looking forward to collaborating with our new candidates who bring different involvement and community commitments with them. We need a balance on Council that will protect the environment and manage housing development. Having a Council dominated by one party block is not good for democracy, nor does it result in effective representation of the diverse communities of the Blue Mountains.”

Cr Hoare said “The new Greens team is the strongest we’ve ever put forward for election to the Council. Our track record shows having Greens on Council brings fresh ideas and valuable initiatives that benefit our community. Greens representation makes Blue Mountains City Council a leader in local government climate action. By working cooperatively with all Councillors to raise revenue from visitor paid parking instead of imposing rate rises to repair our roads in the aftermath of repeated extreme rainfall events, we are the envy of many other Councils. Vote 1 Greens across the Blue Mountains.”

Media contact: Jenna Condie, Campaign Coordinator, Blue Mountains Greens j.m.condie@gmail.com