Randwick to have Greens mayor

Randwick Council ratepayer Simone Joffe claims most residents “remain unaware” of a power-sharing arrangement between Labor and Greens councillors that will see the mayoralty handed from Labor’s Dylan Parker to Greens deputy mayor Clare Willington from September 29.

Under the deal, in place since 2017, Labor and the Greens share the roles of mayor and deputy mayor each four-year term, despite the Greens currently having only three elected councillors out of 15.

Joffe, who penned a Change.org petition signed by more than 1100 people and helped distribute 26,000 Randwick Voices flyers about it, told The AJN that from all she had spoken to, “90 to 95 per cent did not know about this power sharing deal, which is undemocratic.

“I’m just trying to educate the Randwick population, so that they are aware when they next vote.”

Joffe also expressed her disappointment that a Code of Conduct complaint that she and 119 others had submitted to the council against Greens Cr Philipa Veitch over the former mayor’s liking of a social media post that said “globalise the intifada” was rejected after an investigation.

Meanwhile, Randwick Liberal Councillor Daniel Rosenfeld told The AJN he is pleased that the council resolved to progress a long-awaited proposal to complete the Coogee-Randwick eruv at the August 25 council meeting.

His motion, which was carried, will see council officers engage with the Sydney Eruv Committee and Coogee Synagogue to install a small cable across Coogee Bay Road at Brook Street – funded by the committee – that will link up the existing North Bondi eruv with the southern eruv serving Maroubra.

“It’s a very good outcome,” Rosenfeld said.

He also proposed that a solar-powered chanukiah art installation be made and placed in a Randwick location – similar to one already installed at Bondi Beach – but a Labor-led amendment was carried that tied its further consideration to the outcome of the council’s public art guidelines consultation process.

Rosenfeld said he was “disappointed” that proposal will now be delayed, but remains hopeful it will come to fruition.

A Mayoral Minute was also carried at the meeting endorsing the council’s participation as an event partner in the 2026 Local Government Summit Against Antisemitism this November at Bondi Beach.

Rosenfeld welcomed that, but said he was “bewildered” that Greens councillors Veitch and Willington voted against it.