Drew Jenner has been elected Clarence mayor, defeating sitting mayor Brendan Blomeley in one of the closest finishes of the council elections.
The Tasmanian Electoral Commission’s final count was released at 8:05pm on Thursday.
Jenner won 16,869 votes to Blomeley’s 16,025 after preferences or 51.3% to 48.7%.
Jenner was second on first preferences with 16.3%. Blomeley led the field of eight candidates with 24.3%, down from 29.4% when he won the job in 2022.
Blomeley stayed in front for six counts. He was 1,586 votes ahead when Emma Goyne, who came third on first preferences with 14.3%, was excluded.
Election analyst Kevin Bonham said Goyne’s preferences split almost two to one against Blomeley, once exhausted votes were set aside.
Tony Mulder’s preferences had slightly favoured Blomeley.
Jenner picked up more preferences than Blomeley from four of the six excluded candidates.
That included 1,194 of Kerry Heatley’s votes, compared with 183 for Blomeley.
Jenner, from Seven Mile Beach, was running for council for the first time.
He spent 25 years at the Bureau of Meteorology and worked as a registered nurse before that.
He heads Seven Mile Coastcare and volunteers at Warrane Neighbourhood House.
Jenner ran as an independent. He campaigned on connected parks and trails, community sport and arts facilities and better planning for new housing estates.
His candidate statement also called for “no AI data centres in Clarence”.
Blomeley was first elected to Clarence council in 2000, at 25. He became mayor in 2022 and was expelled from the Liberal Party in 2024.
Blomeley appears likely to remain on council. Early councillor figures had him on track to top the count with 13.5% of first preferences.
To take up the mayor’s job, Jenner must also win a councillor seat. Early figures have him on track for one as the count continues.
