2024 Candidates

Our Team

Councillor Sylvie Ellsmore for City of Sydney Mayor

Hi, I’m Sylvie. I’m a Greens Councillor, the Chair of the City’s Housing for All Working Group and former Deputy Mayor of the City of Sydney Council.

Before joining the City of Sydney Council I was a native title lawyer and community organiser. I have managed not for profit organisations and worked as a senior policy advisor for the NSW Government, NSW Aboriginal Land Council and the Sydney Policy Lab (University of Sydney).

I previously represented Newtown as a Local Councillor on Marrickville Council (2012-2016), founding that Council’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee and chairing the Cycling Committee.

I am passionate about communities working together to raise their voices for change. I have worked with residents to form the Redfern, Eveleigh, Darlington, Waterloo Watch (REDWatch) residents’ action group, and I am a volunteer karate teacher at Jin Sei Ryu Karate Do (Darlington).

Over the last term on council, I’ve stopped the sell-off of public housing, forced developers to pay higher contributions to fund much needed affordable houses, passed planning rules to protect homes from being demolished and replaced with luxury apartments, and secured funding for a housing cooperative for trans women, an Australian first.

Working alongside community and local activists I was instrumental in banning gas from new developments, in repealing the undemocratic ‘two council votes for businesses’ law, and making council venue hire free for community groups.

I love our city, but we’re facing big challenges. As rents rise and the cost of living soars, too many in our community are being pushed out of their homes and left behind. But it doesn’t need to be this way.

I’m running as your Mayoral Candidate, leading an expanded Greens team and build a Sydney for all of us. We have a plan to tackle the housing crisis by building accessible, rent-capped public homes, ensure everyone has access to cheap, clean energy by launching Sydney Solar, a council-owned renewable energy provider, and make our city more affordable by expanding essential community services like early childhood education.

Because make no mistake, the City of Sydney has the resources to do incredible things, all that is lacking is the political will. With nearly a billion dollars in the bank and hundreds of millions in annual profit, the City of Sydney can and should be taking bold, transformative action to tackle the housing and cost-of-living crises.

Follow our work on council on Facebook at facebook.com/SylvieEllsmoreGreens and Instagram at instagram.com/sylvieellsmore

Matthew Thompson for City of Sydney

Hi, I’m Matthew. I’m a community services worker, queer activist and an university student studying Environmental Science.

My clearest memories of when I first moved to Glebe are of the cold nights where I had to decide whether to pay my rent or put food on the table. Where I juggled multiple jobs trying, and often failing, to keep the lights on at home. And while those experiences for me are now in the past, for far too many in our city they are an ongoing reality.

And that’s why I’m running to join our Mayoral candidate, Councillor Sylvie Ellsmore, as part of an expanded Greens team. Because The Greens have a plan to build a Sydney for all of us.

Now, more than ever, we need representatives that are connected to community and understand the impacts of poverty and housing insecurity – it’s time we have a say in how our city is built, it’s time we are heard.

Imagine a Sydney where everyone has an affordable, accessible house to call home. Where the services and things you need to live your life are cheap and plentiful. Where the streets are vibrant and bustling, lined with trees, designed for people, not cars. Where public green space is expanded and our precious environment protected. That’s the Sydney The Greens will build. That’s the Sydney that by working together, is possible.

Follow me on Instagram

Jay Gillieatt for City of Sydney

Hi, I’m Jay. I’m a resident of Waterloo, a lawyer and the coordinator of my local community garden.

It’s clear to me that Sydney is becoming more unequal, placing our wonderfully diverse City at risk. Many of my neighbours are being forced out of communities they’ve called home their whole lives. I believe that the City of Sydney has within its means the ability to help change this course.

Caroline Alcorso for City of Sydney

Hi, I’m Caroline. I’m a Darlinghurst local, founder of the NSW Working Women’s Centre, and a policy expert studying a Masters in Sustainability.

Looking around it’s clear to me that our city is run by developers and big business. Homes demolished to make way for luxury apartments, essential community services sold-off and outsourced. It shouldn’t be this way, and it’s time we fixed it.

Chetan Sahai for City of Sydney

Hi, I’m Chetan. I’m an engineer and climate activist who calls Alexandria home. Now, I’ve put my hand up to be one of your Greens candidates for the City of Sydney.

In a city as rich as ours, no one should struggle to keep a roof over their head and food on the table. Yet as the cost of living crisis worsens and rents soar ever upwards, our leaders sit by and watch, instead of taking bold, transformative action to support our community.