Amid growing tensions within the local Labor Party, Cr Bob Proudfoot is weighing up his options for the 2020 council elections.
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This follows the leaking of an inflammatory email from outgoing Labor councillor Annette Alldrick, who warned against preselecting Cr Proudfoot for a Labor ticket in the 2020 local government election.
In the email, circulated among about 20 Labor members, Cr Alldrick warned against preselecting Cr Proudfoot, who she said had not voted in council in a way that reflected Labor values.
"Before the email was leaked, I was 90 per cent sure I'd stand for preselection with Labor," Cr Proudfoot said.
"The day it was leaked, I was at zero per cent."
Saying he was bitterly disappointed the email was leaked, Cr Proudfoot said he was now at the crossroads of his political career.
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As he charts a way forward, one thing is certain.
"There is zero chance I will run with the Shoalhaven Independents," Cr Proudfoot said.
His decision not to run with the group, headed by former mayor and veteran councillor Greg Watson, was due to changes to ward boundaries, he said.
Cr Proudfoot said a Labor ticket had better prospects, as long as the party bosses in Sussex Street funded its campaign. He said he didn't run with Labor at the 2015 election because the party entered the race way too late and did not have its campaign well organised.
As for the email warning against his preselection, he said he was mystified.
"I suspect the catalyst was when [Cr Alldrick] stood for deputy mayor and I didn't vote for her.
"She hadn't asked me to support her and Patricia White did so I voted for her."
Cr Proudfoot said the email leak had further damaged the Labor brand, already badly scuffed by the ICAC hearings into developer donations.
However, he said he was surprised by the support he had received from community members since the email was made public.
