Former Melton councillor and four-time mayor Justin Mammarella is set to return to public life, saying he will run for the seat of Melton at next year’s state election.
Mr Mammarella has confirmed he will seek preselection for the Labor-held seat after embattled MP Don Nardella revealed he would quit politics at next year’s state election.
Mr Nardella’s decision followed the recent backlash over his claims for a second residence allowance designed for regional MPs.
A senior Labor figure said Mr Mammarella would “highly likely” be the successful candidate, highlighting the need for the party to start preselecting candidates with strong local ties to the communities they’re elected to represent.
The state government has been under increasing pressure over recent weeks after it was revealed 14 lower house MPs lived outside their electorate. They include Mr Nardella, who lives in Ocean Grove, 80 kilometres from Melton. He received 61.2 per cent of the vote after preferences at the 2014 state poll.
“There’s a general want to see people live locally to the communities they’re representing,” the Labor figure said.
“Justin moved into the area to start a family many years ago. His kids have grown up there and that’s the type of candidate needed.
“You wouldn’t want to take anyone’s support for granted given what’s happening globally in politics. We want to see people who have a very strong connection to local communities.”
Mr Mammarella has been a long-time campaigner for a 24-hour public hospital in Melton, conceding infrastructure hadn’t kept up with the area’s booming population.
He has also highlighted a need to duplicate the Melton Highway as a pressing issue.
“I’m flattered by the support I’ve received from the local branches and the community members who have contacted me to encourage me to run,” Mr Mammarella said.
Last week, Mr Nardella told Star Weekly the “difficult” time he’d had over claiming $100,000 in second residence allowance had influenced his decision to quit.
But he refused to apologise or pay back the money, saying doing either would imply he had done something illegal or had rorted the system.
