List of mayors of Bayswater

City of Bayswater Civic Centre in January 2022

The City of Bayswater is a local government area in Perth, Western Australia. It was established in 1897 as the Bayswater Road Board, with a chairman elected by the board members as its leader. In 1961, it became the Shire of Bayswater following the passage of the Local Government Act 1960, with a president elected by the councillors as its leader. In 1983, it achieved city status, becoming the City of Bayswater, with a mayor elected by the councillors as its leader. Since 2023, the mayor of the City of Bayswater has been popularly elected rather than elected by the councillors.[1]

The first chairman of Bayswater was Henry Thomas Halliday, who was elected to the position at the board's inaugural meeting on 7 June 1897.[2] He resigned on 20 December 1899.[3] The current mayor of the City of Bayswater is Filomena Piffaretti, who was elected as the city's first female mayor on 18 October 2021.[4] She became the city's first popularly elected mayor in October 2023.[1] Prior to 2023, the mayor was elected by the councillors after each election, making Bayswater is one of the few councils to do so in 2021.[5]

Political parties do not typically endorse candidates in local government in Western Australia. However, councillors are often members of political parties. Dick Ardagh was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for the North East Province from 1912 to 1924, serving concurrently as chairman of the Bayswater Road Board from 1920 to 1923, and in 1924. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party until 1917, and a member of the National Labor Party following 1917.[6]

Two mayors/presidents/chairmen have continued on to become members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly for the Australian Labor Party. Merv Toms was the member for Maylands from 1956 to 1962, member for Bayswater from 1962 to 1968, and member for Ascot from 1968 until his death in 1971. He served on the council during this time as well, albeit not as chairman.[7][8] John D'Orazio was the member for Ballajura from 2001 to 2008. He left the Labor party in 2006, sitting as an independent politician, before joining again in 2008. He lost preselection for the seat for the 2008 state election, so he contested it as an independent.

Other Bayswater mayors known to have been part of the Labor party include Lou Magro,[9] Terry Kenyon,[10] Barry McKenna, Dan Bull and Filomena Piffaretti.[11] Lou Magro quit the Labor party in May 2008 after failing to be preselected for the electoral district of Morley.[9] Sylvan Albert is known to have been a member of the Liberal Party of Australia, having been their candidate for the electoral district of Maylands at the 2013 Western Australian state election.[12][13]

Between October 1978 and February 1979, the Shire of Bayswater was run by a state government appointed commissioner, after the council was sacked for mismanagement, corruption and various actions breaking the Local Government Act. As such, the council did not have a mayor during that time.[14][15]

  1. ^ a b Dietsch, Jake (23 October 2023). "Local elections: Geraldton Mayor out for the count but Liberal candidate wins a spot in Rockingham". The West Australian. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference The Early Days was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Halliday House was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "First female mayor for City of Bayswater council". City of Bayswater. 19 October 2021. Archived from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Historic Win". The Perth Voice Interactive. 21 October 2021. Archived from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dick Ardagh was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "John Mervin Toms". Parliament of Western Australia. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  8. ^ May, Catherine. 2013, p. 264
  9. ^ a b Phillips, Yasmine (14 May 2008). "ALP veteran Magro quits in seat row". The West Australian. p. 4.
  10. ^ "Old council mates come to aid of the party". The West Australian. 15 April 2006. p. 7.
  11. ^ "Elected Members Political Interest Register" (PDF). City of Bayswater. 28 February 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  12. ^ "Strong Link". The West Australian. 25 November 2013. p. 2.
  13. ^ Emery, Kate (18 February 2015). "Councils hound State for cash". The West Australian. p. 110.
  14. ^ May, Catherine. 2013, p. 285–289
  15. ^ The West Australian. 13 October 1978. p. 1.