The extraordinary election followed the one-month suspension of Councillor Jay Iwasaki for misconduct. However, the vote between candidates Cr Liz Irvin and Cr Katerine Theodosis ended in a five-all tie.

Despite a ten-minute recess to break the stalemate, a second ballot returned the exact same result. Under the Local Government Act, an absolute majority is required to fill the position.

Council will try again tomorrow at 6:00 PM.

It’s an identical situation to what occurred in Wyndham City Council in recent weeks, when three votes and two meetings were required to elect a new Mayor and Deputy Mayor.