RESIDENTS in the Thomastown ward of the City of Whittlesea council will head back to the polls to start 2026, with the sudden resignation of Councillor Nic Brooks made official last Monday.
The City of Whittlesea made an announcement last week, stating that Cr Brooks had resigned for personal reasons.
“On January 11, 2026, Cr Nic Brooks, Ward Councillor for Thomastown, advised Council that he has resigned his position effective immediately for personal reasons,” council stated.
“Nic Brooks was elected to Council in the November 2024 Local Government elections and has served on a number of Committees in this time.
“A by-election for the Thomastown ward will be held to fill the vacancy.
“Council is not responsible for holding local government elections; they are conducted by the Victorian Electoral Commission, and residents enrolled to vote in the Thomastown ward will be required to vote in a by-election. The dates of this are yet to be confirmed.
“While the role of Thomastown ward Councillor remains vacant, residents of the ward can contact the Mayor, Deputy Mayor or the broader councillor group for any inquiries. Contact details are available on the council’s website.
“On behalf of council, we thank Mr Brooks for his service to the City of Whittlesea community.”
Cr Brooks’ information page was accordingly taken down, having previously stated he wanted to see the area flourish after his election as an independent candidate.
“Born and raised in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, I love the area and want to see it flourish as a thriving business district with a happy, healthy and connected community that is proud of where they live,” his profile said.
“My hope for the City of Whittlesea is a council that supports local living and employment, aiming to increase local job opportunities. Promoting smart urban design for sustainable and connected communities understanding the ongoing cost of living and housing crisis.”
Cr Brooks brought 20 years of corporate experience to the role, predominantly in the transport and logistics industry, and was the general manager of a security and technology company and co-owner and operator of a NDIS-registered provider when he resigned from council.
This now represents the second time council ratepayers have had to go back to the polls since the election of the current sitting members in 2024, continuing what has been an unstable time for council since its initial election.
In August, Michael Labrador became the sitting member for the neighbouring Lalor ward after the original election result was voided due to suspected voter fraud.
Original sitting member Stevan Kozmevski had to vacate the seat after it emerged suspected fraudulent votes were detected in between a race which had been decided by just 39 votes.
It later emerged that the fraud had targeted last-placed candidate Nicholas Hajichristou as first preference, with 81 votes specifically targeted – 24 had not been included in the final count, but 57 had been counted and not able to be recovered.
There was no suggestion that any candidate in the running in that election was involved in the fraud from VCAT and the VEC, nor aware of the fraud.
There is currently no indication of when the new vote to determine the next Thomastown ward councillor will be held.
