newy.com.au – Councillor Declan Clausen has announced he will nominate to contest Newcastle’s Lord Mayor by-election, which City of Newcastle says is likely to be held in mid-April.
If selected, he would face independent Gavin Morris, while Deputy Lord Mayor Charlotte McCabe is seeking Greens endorsement and Liberal councillor Callum Pull states he will make a decision by mid next week.
The vacancy was triggered by the resignation of Lord Mayor Dr Ross Kerridge who stepped down to prioritise his health and family as he continued to experience side effects from cancer treatment. Deputy Lord Mayor Cr Charlotte McCabe will exercise the Lord Mayor’s functions until the by-election, while the state electoral commission is expected to finalise a date over the coming week.
Clausen said the by-election would shape Newcastle during a period of growth and change. “This by-election is about the kind of city we want to be,” he said, adding: “That growth must work for working people, for families under cost of living pressure, and for young people trying to build a future here”.
Clausen pointed to his 11 years on Newcastle council, including seven years as deputy lord mayor, saying experience was needed to lead “a large and complex organisation” and work constructively with councillors “across the chamber”. He said outcomes relied on “collaboration, relationships and trust” because “the Lord Mayor cannot govern alone”.
He said his priorities would be keeping Newcastle affordable, investing in suburbs, strengthening governance and communications, and “restoring trust” while planning responsibly for the city’s future. Clausen cited initiatives he said he had helped deliver, including the $2 pool entry trial, expanded footpath investment, renewable energy projects such as the Summerhill Solar Farm, and improvements to parks and community facilities.
Clausen grew up in Wallsend, attended Lambton High School and now lives in Lambton with his partner, Steven, and would be the city’s first openly gay Lord Mayor if elected. Outside council, he began his career as a cadet engineer at Hunter Water and is now a senior manager working on strategy, community engagement and long-term planning.
Clausen holds an environmental engineering degree from the University of Newcastle, a master’s degree from the University of Oxford in sustainable development and economics, and postgraduate accounting qualifications, and previously served as NSW convenor of the Labor Environment Action Network.
He said he had been encouraged by Labor councillor colleagues, party members and local MPs as he prepared to put his case to rank-and-file members ahead of the by-election.
