In a surprising turn of events, Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden, a Gold Coast council candidate who was charged with murder after allegedly killing his stepfather in August 2023, has lost his bid for re-election. Bayldon-Lumsden finished 643 votes behind challenger Joe Wilkinson. Despite the murder accusation, Bayldon-Lumsden is expected to plead not guilty to the charges [b34350e1].
The winner of the election, Joe Wilkinson, cited the lack of representation for the area as a motivation for running. Political commentator Paul Williams noted that the contest between Bayldon-Lumsden and Wilkinson was surprisingly tight and that there is no parallel in Australian political history. Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate was also re-elected to a record fourth term [b34350e1].
In a separate incident, Tony Bleasdale, the mayor of Blacktown City Council, has died at the age of 77 on a flight home from China after a study tour. Bleasdale, who had been a councillor since 1996 and a mayor since 2019, was leading a delegation to the council's sister cities in South Korea and China. He was awarded an Order of Australia in 2010 for his charity work and service to the Blacktown community. The cause of Bleasdale's death has not been mentioned in the article [0c68c9d2].
