Sydney Morning Herald: Art of the Deal: Clover Moore appoints Labor rival as deputy mayor

Kishor Napier-Ramen & Stephen Brook
Sydney Morning Herald
October 9, 2024

After winning a record sixth term as lord mayor of Sydney at last month’s council elections, Clover Moore seemed less than impressed by her leadership rivals.

“I didn’t think any of the other candidates had anything to offer,” the 78-year-old Moore said, accusing the cast of wannabe mayors of lacking “fresh ideas”.

“There was a sense of real desperation about trying to get me out of Town Hall. That was expressed in the candidates’ forums, which I think were pretty nasty,” she said.

Labor’s Zann Maxwell is set for a new gig at Sydney Town Hall. Credit: Flavio Brancaleone

“No one really talked about fresh ideas or new policy, they were just attacking me. It was a pretty weird campaign, actually.”

But robbed of a working majority on council for the first time in her 20-year reign, Moore has been forced to negotiate with those rivals, and has cut a deal with Labor’s lord mayoral candidate Zann Maxwell to make him her deputy, according to multiple sources familiar with the talks.

While both Labor and the Greens finished with two spots on the nine-person council to Team Clover’s four (including Moore), Maxwell who finished a distant second in the mayoral race, got the nod.

Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore on election day. Credit: AAP

It wasn’t all that long ago when Moore was warning about her policies and projects being put at risk if either of the major parties gained control of Town Hall. So no surprises that the Greens aren’t thrilled that Moore snubbed them for one of the major parties, particularly when their own mayoral candidate Sylvie Ellsmore (who finished third) had already served a year as Clover’s deputy during the last term of council.

“It is a surprise, given that the mayor expressed so much concern about Labor or Liberal getting control of Town Hall,” Ellsmore said of the deal.

But Moore told CBD she looked forward to working with all councillors regardless of their political background or affiliation.

“Despite the breadth of political spectrum on council and a sometimes-bruising election campaign, it’s clear we all share the desire for an economically, culturally, environmentally and socially sustainable city,” she said.