Former Geraldton mayor Shane Van Styn not contesting State election, hasn’t ruled out political return

Former City of Greater Geraldton mayor Shane Van Styn says he is content staying out of the upcoming State election, but left the door open for a political run sooner rather than later. Mr Van Styn was one of three candidates to put their hand up for the Nationals party for the seat of Geraldton, with Chapman Valley shire president Kirrilee Warr selected ahead of him and Northampton deputy president Rob Horstman. In the aftermath of the decision, the former mayor stated he would consider running as an independent. However, Mr Van Styn said running for the seat of Geraldton was no longer front of mind at this stage. “I still love to passionately defend, stick up for, support, and advocate for Geraldton,” he said. “There’s been a lot of people asking me if I’m running as an independent . . . I certainly won’t be doing that.” Mr Van Styn said he recently aligned with the Liberal party as a paid member, but insisted the role was “just an observer”. He said he was interested in seeing how the party would rebuild, following Labor’s 2021 landslide election victory. Mr Van Styn said there were a number of issues within Geraldton, saying the public was becoming fed up with the State Government. “People are tired of hearing all these big funding announcements and yet on the ground, everything’s getting cut back, slashed, and taken away from us,” he said. “It’s just a lack of regional focus.” He cited the Geraldton Health Campus redevelopment, the housing crisis, gun reforms, and the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act as some of the issues that the public have not forgotten about over the past few years. Geraldton MLA Lara Dalton will be seeking a second term after being preselected for Labor, with Ms Warr and clinical psychologist Tim Milnes set to contest the seat ahead of the election in March. Although he said he would not put his hand up at this stage, he did not rule out a run at politics as soon as next year’s election. “It would be remiss of me to stand as a candidate as a paid member of the Liberal party,” Mr Van Styn said. “But the election isn’t until March, and we can see how everyone’s going up until then to make any final decisions.”