Getting The Lowdown On Mayor-elect Ben Lawver

There seems to be unprecedented interest in Ben Lawver, the Fremantle Mayor-elect who, for many Freo folk, seems to have just dropped from the clouds. Who is he? We’ve heard he’s an American! Has he been in Freo long? And apparently he’s had something to do with the MUA, the Union who ran that election eve ad disparaging Hannah Fitzhardinge’s re-election bid for a second term as Mayor. Etc etc. The questions were coming to the Shipping News thick and fast. So we asked Ben Lawver if we could email him our questions and get his answers and then post the interview. He agreed. You will find the ‘digital interview’ below.

Here’s Ben in a recent photograph with supporters. He’s the one in the middle with the shaggy hair and wearing the brown coat.

Q1. Congrats on your Mayoral victory, Ben. Have you come down from the clouds yet?

After putting everything into the campaign, I am just exhausted. Looking forward to catching up on some rest before being sworn in on Wednesday 22 October.

Q2. The Shipping News has received a number of questions from people wanting to know more about you! For example, where did you grow up and when did you first come to Freo? I suppose you could also add in your star sign!

Honestly, we could probably do an entire podcast series about my life and what I have done these past 48 years. Both of my parents were adopted by their families so our family history kind of ends with them. I have three brothers, but the youngest grew up with my mother after my parents divorced when I was around 5-6 years old.

After my parents’ divorce, I moved to Washington State with my father and new stepmother. We first lived several miles outside of a town with 1,200 residents in the Rocky Mountains before moving just before I started year 7 to the “big city” nearby that had around 5,000 people living there.

My first job at age 14 was working as a janitor for our local church and when I moved out of our house at age 16 and put myself into foster care, I had a full-time job at our local hardware store.

Even though I had enough credits to graduate High School by the end of year 10, I stayed in school and graduated with my class in 1996 after which I started working in hospitality doing front of house service roles (server and bartending mostly).

After several months of being homeless (I called it “camping” at the time), at the age of 23 I was diagnosed with stage 3C cancer in my lymph nodes. By sheer luck I lived in one of two states in the US where the surgery I required to survive could be performed.

The whole chemo, surgery, and recovery journey gave me plenty of time to think about what I wanted to do with my life and it was during that time I decided I would consciously find a way to help others in need and give back to whatever community I found myself living in.

I came to Fremantle in 2013 for a holiday before starting University (I was going to study to be a teacher). I met my wife here and we now have a home in Hilton.

From the first day I set foot in Freo I loved its charm, the working port, the people I met, and it seemed like any night of the week you could catch some live music being played somewhere in town.

I am a Scorpio Sun, with Leo rising, and a Gemini Moon 😊.

Q3. What first brought you to Freo?

A holiday before starting at university.

Q4. A good number of folk are aware that you worked for a period with the MUA. What was your job there and for how long?

I was hired in 2017 to assist with required research for the then upcoming Westport taskforce. I served on that taskforce and left employment at the MUA WA Branch in 2019. I was never an official, only an employee, and during my time there I also had minor roles helping with other organising efforts as well.

Q5. Similarly, many are aware that until recently you were working for a Senator, Glenn Sterle I think. Again, what was your job there and for how long?

I was hired for a two-month contract in May 2021 to do a bit of research for Senator Glenn Sterle and have remained employed ever since. As I repeatedly said during the campaign, I will now resign from that role to focus 100% on our City.

Q6. Ben, we have to ask, many are wondering how it was that the MUA paid for a front page advert in The Herald on election eve pretty much bagging the performance of the former Mayor, Hannah Fitzhardinge for not keeping previous campaign pledges. Did you know it was about to be published?

No, and upon being made aware of its existence I stopped what I was doing, immediately wrote a statement calling it out, and then actually drove to the union office to ask them in person to withdraw it.

Q7. Ben, once installed as Mayor, what are the first couple initiatives you’d like to push hardest on for the City of Freo?

First, I am going to meet with each Councillor, ask what their priorities are and figure out how we can work to accomplish them together as a Council.

Secondly I also want to hit the ground running and start working on the issues that I campaigned on as soon as possible. Addressing our homelessness crisis by providing more practical support for those folks currently sleeping rough on our streets; updating our planning scheme to ensure we have more say in the developments that impact our city; looking for ways to better support our local artists and musicians; and the many other issues that local people are concerned about.

Thanks.