Holdfast Bay Mayor to run for Liberal Party in Black
City of Holdfast Bay Mayor Amanda Wilson has been preselected as the Liberal Party’s candidate for former Opposition leader David Speirs’ seat of Black.
Wilson, who was elected mayor in November 2018 and has been a councillor since 2014, was the party’s only preselection nominee for the southern suburbs seat, which is set to become vacant following Speirs’ resignation from parliament next week.
Wilson will contest the Black by-election – expected to be late November or early December – against Labor candidate and Sacred Heart deputy principal Alex Dighton, whose preselection was confirmed on Tuesday.
The Liberal Party holds Black on a 2.8 per cent margin over Labor, but Speirs’ absence is widely considered to make the seat more winnable for Labor.
Wilson’s preselection was announced by Opposition leader Vincent Tarzia at the Brighton and Seacliff Yacht Club on Saturday afternoon.
Wilson said she only became a member of the Liberal Party on Friday and will now go on a leave of absence as mayor.
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“I’ve always been an independent and being a mayor that was very important because I’ve always been able to work with both sides of politics to get the best outcome for my community,” she told reporters today.
“I entered council for environmental reasons. I wanted to make a difference and I feel that I have done everything that I wanted to do at council.
“So now it’s time to have a look at the bigger picture and the larger issues that affect our state.”
The announcement comes after Marion councillor Jana Mates – a public servant, Liberal Party member and former president of the party’s Black State Electorate Convention – chose not to run for preselection.
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Wilson’s candidacy has already prompted attacks from Labor given she lives in Glenelg, which sits outside the seat of Black that covers suburbs like Hallett Cove, Kingston Park, Seacliff, and Sheidow Park.
"Compare the pair:"
"Labor’s Liberal’s
Alex Dighton Amanda Wilson
✅Lives in Black ❌Lives in Glenelg
✅A real local ❌Parachuted in pic.twitter.com/LwgP1ve968""— SA Labor (@alpsa) October 12, 2024"
Wilson brushed off those attacks today, saying she has been a “passionate advocate for this entire coastal strip for over seven years as the Mayor of Holdfast Bay”.
“And of course, a sizable chunk of Holdfast Bay is in the electorate of Black,” she said.
“I’ve also been a coast protection board member for many years, so I’ve been intimately involved in sand pumping and the directions of this coastline.
“I understand that the needs of the people in this area are complex but mostly they’re based on their families.”
Wilson later added: “I haven’t ruled out moving into Black in the longer term.”
Opposition leader Vincent Tarzia said Wilson’s preselection was an “absolute no brainer” and touted the mayor as an “amazing community advocate”.
“Amanda is the best person for this job and we’re really looking forward to having her as part of the Liberal Party family,” he said.
