Shire of Denmark shake-up with Alex Sleeman and Jay Hockey joining Clare Campbell and Jan Lewis on council

The Shire of Denmark has had a shake-up in its council, with two fresh faces elected and two incumbent members retaining their seats.

Clare Campbell, Jan Lewis, Alex Sleeman and Jay Hockey were the successful four who nailed down positions around the table out of nine prospective candidates.

Newcomer Alex Sleeman was the first to lock down a seat, with the Denmark GP receiving an impressive 1024 first preference votes for his first term on council.

The local doctor claimed 40.4 per cent of all first preference votes.

The second member elected was long-serving councillor and deputy president Jan Lewis.

Incumbent Clare Campbell successfully held onto her seat for a second term with Denmark Driver Training boss Jay Hockey taking the final vacant position for his first term.

Councillors Donna Carman and Jackie Ormsby failed to gain additional terms.

Freelance journalist Serena Kirby, environmentalist Julie Marsh and former lawyer Paul Healy were the other unsuccessful candidates.

The freshly elected councillors will join shire president Kingsley Gibson and Crs Dominic Youel, Janine Phillips, Nathan Devenport and Aaron Wiggins at the leadership table.

Almost half of Denmark electors turned out to exercise their democratic right, with 46 per cent submitting their ballots.

The return rate — representing 2526 out of 5490 eligible voters — is a slim margin above the 2023 result of 45.28 per cent.

The four successful candidates will be sworn in at the shire’s next ordinary council meeting on October 28, where they will also conduct a vote on who will serve as president and deputy.

While neighbouring Great Southern local government area Shire of Plantagenet has learnt of its new council make-up, results in the City of Albany have not yet been declared.