Geale set to overthrow his 'captain' as mayor

WAYNE Geale looks set to topple long-serving Wagga mayor Kerry Pascoe by the smallest of margins in tonight's mayoral election.Councillor Geale is confident he has the numbers to oust Councillor Pascoe in a scenario equivalent to the captain being thrown overboard by his first mate.Cr Geale first rose to his civic role on Cr Pascoe's ticket in 2008 and they had worked closely together ever since, with Cr Geale's vote for his running mate imperative in staving off challenges from Garry Hiscock and Rod Kendall last year.Unless there's a last-minute shift in votes however, it doesn't look as though the mayor will survive this time.It is believed that Cr Geale has secured the votes of Garry Hiscock, Donna Argus, Alan Brown, Rod Kendall and Ray Goodlass.In the other corner, Cr Pascoe looks to be one vote short, with support from Yvonne Braid, Lindsay Vidler, Clint Uden and Kevin Wales.If that's the way it pans out and Cr Geale becomes Wagga's 43rd mayor, it could make for a turbulent year in politics as he is known to share a bitter history with the Riverina's federal member-elect, Michael McCormack.As the then-general manager of the Riverina Media Group, Cr Geale was instrumental in removing Mr McCormack from his post as The Daily Advertiser's editor in 2002.Sources close to both men reveal that acrimony still exists between them but when contacted by The Daily Advertiser this week, both said they would have no problems working together when it's required."I don't see any reason why I couldn't work with him," Cr Geale said. "We speak together and shake hands when we see each other."Mr McCormack said he would put any "personal differences aside"."There's not too many people I dislike," he said. "Part of my job is customer service - it's about how well you deal with people."