City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Kim O’Keeffe has announced her intention to nominate for National Party preselection for the state seat of Shepparton, currently held by Independent Suzanna Sheed.
After almost six years on council, including terms as mayor, Cr O’Keeffe said she was ready to step up to state politics.
The announcement wasn’t unexpected, but having been sounded out for federal politics by the Liberal Party the political alignment was.
“They (Liberal Party) approached me last time and Federal Government wasn't the right fit for me,” Cr O’Keeffe said.
"The Nationals is a really good fit for me too because I'm all about regional Victoria.“
The Liberal Party has endorsed businesswoman Cheryl Hammer for a second tilt at the state seat.
Victorian Nationals leader Peter Walsh said Cr O’Keeffe spoke to former Shepparton state member Jeanette Powell and he welcomed her into the fold.
“I think Kim is an outstanding candidate and I'm very pleased that she's chosen to come to the National Party,” Mr Walsh said.
“She is someone that can hit the ground running, and be a great advocate for her electorate as part of our team.”
The Victorian election isn’t until November. Cr O’Keeffe said she would manage her mayoral role for as long as possible and would step aside when campaigning caused any conflict.
“I'll be very fair to the community in that respect and to my fellow councillors as well,“ she said.
“But there's a lot of things on with council at the moment that need my decision making in there.”
Cr O’Keeffe said her advocacy as chair of Regional Cities Victoria had put her in good stead to represent the region.
“I think I can definitely step into the state parliament role quite easily and I think the community has seen me work really hard and know that I’m here for the right reason.”
Mr Walsh said the party hoped to have most preselections wrapped up by the end of May, and while it was up to the local branch to endorse Cr O’Keeffe, she had his support.
“We'll see if there's anyone else nominates,” he said.
Mr Walsh said the community made a choice to elect an Independent in the seat and it was up to the Nationals to convince voters to elect their candidate.
“We're putting forward a candidate that I think personally would be a great member for them.”
Cr O’Keeffe said it was important to “shine a bright light” on the region and expected COVID-19 pandemic recovery, regional growth, infrastructure and services would be key election issues leading up to November.
“Right now we need strong, compassionate leadership and someone who will stand strong for our community as we recover from the pandemic,” she said.