User:Rebecca/Drafts/Alex McTaggart

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Alex McTaggart is an Australian politician. He has been an independent member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly since November 2005, representing the electorate of Pittwater. McTaggart was previously the Mayor of Pittwater Council, having been elected to the council after leading a local campaign against an attempt by United States television series Baywatch to move to Australia and film on local Avalon Beach. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly in a landslide by-election result in November 2005 sparked by the resignation of popular local member and former state Opposition Leader John Brogden.

• married with three daughters.
• never been a member of a political party.
• Horticulture certificate and post certificate landscape design, Ryde school of horticulture, teaching degree from UTS. He has been self-employed since 1988, part-owner Quays Marina, Church Point, Pittwater councillor since 1999 and current mayor.
• former accountant and teacher

• January 1999 - Baywatch was trying to move permanently after the one-off special (note keen surfer)
• didn't like prospect of lots of tourists
• noted bad treatment during first run (banning residents from beach and lifesaving club)
• was founder and spokesperson for the Anti-Baywatch Action Group and was absolute in rejecting any form of compromise with the producers
• became a major issue in the community, with a quarter of the affected residents up to an angry public meeting on Feb 24and the producers being surprised by the strong campaign against, sparking attempts from other cities to win the show; soon after, they backed down and withdrew the council request to film there, which was due to be heard in early March
• elected to council in elections around the middle of 1999

• as a councillor, active on development issues, such as the Careel Bay marina, the Avalon ambulance station, mobile phone towers, the Labor Council-owned Currawong resort site, as well as the state of health services on the Pittwater peninsula (particularly preventing Mona Vale Hospital from being downgraded, with the intensive care ward closed), preserving the integrity of residential areas, preventing dense unit development and policing
• in Sep 2002, defeated 5-4 by Giles in mayor vote (giving her a seventh year in the job); Sep 2003 opposed notion of a popularly elected mayor; among the first re-elected to council in Mar 2004
• June 2005 was the spokesperson for a new party, the Health Action Party (still sat on council as an independent, however)
• September 2005 elected Mayor of Pittwater, defeating incumbent 5-4 (Lynne Czinner having been elected in April 2004)
• declared health the top issue upon being elected (also on Save Mona Vale Hospital committee)
• Brogden resigned on Sep 28 (explain circumstances, perhaps quote Crikey about local feeling), and McTaggart expressed sadness at it (having praised Brogden in the past, particularly over health issues); was immediately thought of as a potential candidate (anonymous market research survey in first week of October); 19 October said he had been approached to run by "a number of community groups" but declined to give an answer; was always only an independent (no party preselection touted, and no mention of Health Action Party); 26 Oct officially announced he would stand
• was initially courted by Libs, but refused to even meet with them, was immediately touted in the media as a potential threat to the Liberal candidate, attracting interest from Labor government, despite presence of three other councillors on ballot, quickly became clear that he was going to get everyone else's preferences, largely because of his stand on the hospital (demanding that the site for the new Northern Beaches one be at Mona Vale) and his status as a local, particularly after the announcement of Nicolau's victory on October 30; immediately announced that he would resign as Mayor if elected, but would remain on council to prevent the expense of a by-election
• early press coverage after Nicolau's announcement suggested that he was "all but assured" of winning the by-election; note reported ALP support (visits to parliament over issues such as Mona Vale, attention feted on him due to status as prominent candidate, which he did use to attract attention to issues like the Careel Bay marina); benefited from the perception of Nicolau as outsider during campaign, particularly after voting announcement (Nov 11); further benefited from the announcement in late October that Mona Vale would only be upgraded, with a new hospital built at Dee Why, if the Libs won government, dismissing the plans as making Mona Vale into a "glorified nursing home"; press going into first week of November still suggested that Nicolau was set for an easy victory; 5 Nov drew top spot on ballot; Nov 12 Save Mona Vale Hospital committee endorses both McTaggart and Giles; endorsed by Peter Phelps around same time
• began to pick up in second week of November with speculation by Crikey; Nov 17 Liberal Party leaks internal polling suggesting that McTaggart was substantially ahead of Nicolau; McTaggart dismisses as "a Liberal plot to scare the little old ladies into voting Liberal" ("aimed at frightening waverers into thinking that a protest vote is a luxury they cannot afford"); in same week, group of prominent residents, including 2002-05 Pittwater Citizens of the Year, endorse McTaggart; 18 Nov the media started to pick up on how furious the local community was about the treatment of Brogden; note immense amount of funding (quote today's Crikey - Nov 28); Nov 20 Libs ask SEO to investigate allegations that McTaggart had received a party-restricted copy of the electoral roll; tried to evoke himself as the natural successor to Brogden, saying he wouldn't run if Brogden was (date?) and fostering the feeling that a vote for Nicolau dishonored Brogden
• Nov 21, McTaggart poses for photo op with Tripodi, leading Crikey and others to speculate that he had ended his changes with one blow, and opening him up to further allegations of being a Labor stooge; election soon began to get quite nasty, with Libs, McTaggart and CDP all trading allegations of dirty tactics and Labor stooging (note Labor's decision not to run); Nov 22 David Barr endorses McTaggart, despite their history of animosity over the hospital; Nov 22 gains promises from Premier Iemma on Mona Vale Hospital, the Currawong site and Careel Bay Marina; Libs to express concern about their changes, with more stuff about Nicolau when he held a fundraiser in Iron Cove rather than Pittwater; staff of Mona Vale Hospital backed McTaggart's position and slammed Nicolau's plans for a two-hospital policy as unfeasible on Nov 22
• 22 Nov - Paul Nicolaou still odds-on favourite to win by-election, paying $1.57 for $1; still helped by Brogden's refusal to sign a letter of support for Nicolau (he had supported former staffer Rob Stokes for preselection), meaning the Libs had to dig out an old photo of the pair together; continued to vehemently deny being Labor-backed; while Brogden did not campaign against Nicolau, he did virtually to help him (apart from being filmed voting for him)), "background of lobbying property developers and big business may also work against [Nicolau]"; by Nov 24 Centrebet had McTaggart as the favourite at $1.61 to $2.20 for Nicolau, although there was a late swing back to Nicolau; on Nov 24, after previously denying having met with Liberal powerbrokers, said that he had met with Clarke and co and accepted a nomination form, but had not filled it out and been put off running after having met them, and also suspected that they were trying to convince him to run for preselection so he would lose and not be able to run as an independent; by Nov 25, media was tipping a close race but with McTaggart likely to emerge victorious; all the psephologists disagreed, suggesting that they would take a large hit but keep the seat; Libs still trying to paint him as a Labor stooge; note in by-election article about two previous swings (86 and 96); recruited more than 300 people to staff the 19 polling booths on election day; Nov 25, day before the election, CDP state director apologises for suggesting that McTaggart was ALP-backed; said he'd spent only $25,000 on the campaign; Crikey claimed that Libs had spent "an estimated up to $750,000"; night before the election, betting swung back behind Nicolau, with the two equal at $1.85
• won every booth in the electorate, 39.8% before preferences (ahead of Nicolau) and 56% two-party-preferred, cruising to victory; Charles Richardson said that the only result he could think of that was comparable was Liz Constable in Floreat, 1991, WA; and she was a clear independent Liberal; up to the very start of 26 Nov; just need to cover election day and consequences

Alex McTaggart revealed yesterday he never filled out the form and had been put off running after a meeting with right-wing MPs, including the party powerbroker David Clarke.

• note consequences - Debnam etc
• crikey just claimed that it had come out before election day that BEFORE brogden resigned, clarke had tried to recruit mctaggart to run AGAINST him