In September last year, Cr Christou, who worked as an electorate officer for former MP Laurie Ferguson for 10 years, blindsided his colleagues when he quit the Labor Party on the same night he joined forces with two Our Local Community Party Councillors and was elected Mayor with support from Liberal Councillors.
In December, the NSW Labor party suspended the Granville Central, Park Hill, Granville East, Guildford and Harris Park branches and launched an investigation into a number of allegations around membership and falsified branch attendance books made by an anonymous source.
The investigation has subsequently cleared Ms Finn, who told the Review she intends to stand again in the 2023 state election.
“The external independent investigation into the allegations raised in the anonymous dossier has concluded,” Ms Finn said.
“There were no findings of wrongdoing against me whatsoever.
“I won my preselection to contest Granville in the 2015 State Election, 125-35. My preselection for 2019 was uncontested and I was nominated by around 50 ALP members.”
Cr Christou told the Review he would run against Ms Finn if she was Labor’s candidate even though he believed being “the mayor of a super council effectively gives me more power to achieve outcomes and fix things than being a state member”.
“It is my belief [that Julia Finn] is an ineffective State MP and Granville deserves better,” he said.
A spokesperson for State MP for Auburn, Lynda Voltz, said no allegations were made about her and she had no comment to make.
Continued page 8
Mayor to fight
Finn for seat
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