Art patron deluxe Simon Mordant has added another institution to his list of directorships,this time in the United States.Credit:Janie Barrett
Meanwhile,from the follies of the wealthy to the flophouse of the wealthy,Luminis Partners executive co-chairmanSimon Mordant is a homeowner (again)!
Having faced off unsuccessfully against James Packer’sCrown Resorts over a bubble sculpture to be suspended over Barangaroo,the Museum of Contemporary Art chairman has disappeared to New York for an American adventure.
First stop,upstate,where he recently forked out north of $US1 million for property in Hudson,three decades into the town’s renaissance as an artist retreat and antique emporium.
The new digs are,of course,far closer than his Umbrian farmhouse to the Queens-based MoMA PS1 art institute,where Mordant has been on the board for years.
Now Mordant has followed MoMA PS1’s bossKlaus Biesenbach across the country to the Museum of Contemporary Art,Los Angeles,where he’s joined the board along with Chow Tai Fook Capital executiveAdrian Cheng and New York identityMarina Kellen French.
Keeping it in the family
If there’s one thing you can say about the Fergusons,it’s “gee - there are a lot of them”.
Illustration:John ShakespeareCredit:
Now the prodigal step-daughter of former federal Labor MPLaurie Ferguson (son of former NSW Labor MPJack Ferguson,brother of former federal Labor MPMartin Ferguson,brother-in-law to current NSW Labor MPPaul Lynch),NSW Labor MPLynda Voltz,is eyeingLuke Foley’s seat of Auburn,clearly unhappy with her lot in Macquarie Street’s Upper House.
What can we say,it’s only a short 40 minute drive from her home in Bardwell Park.
And there simply must be a reward for toiling away in the fruitless fields of the General Purpose Standing Committee No 4 and No 5,to say nothing of Standing Committee No 3 all these years.
Labor MP Lynda Voltz has put her hand up for Luke Foley's seat of Auburn.Credit:Ryan Osland
Having donned the family tunics and concluded their full moon maypole dance,the Fergs have spent the last few years working on “branch development” — and likely have the numbers to prevail.
Former Auburn MPBarbara Perry,bumped from the seat for Foley in early 2015,is also holding out for a return,as is former Left-aligned Upper House MPHelen Westwood and NSW Labor assistant general secretaryRose Jackson.
We hear NSW Labor HQ over in Sussex Street already begun polling Auburn to measure what damage the Foley scandal has done the in the electorate,and the outcome will decide whether the party parachutes in a candidate or otherwise.
The art of preselection
Lisa Paulsen is the mystery NSW Liberal preselector who has been punted,added back,and punted again from the North Shore ballot.Credit:Tamara Dean
Over in the unhappy NSW Liberal family,mid-preselection biff,we can reveal one of the central issues at the core of the Right faction’s challenge against Moderate MPFelicity Wilson’s 101 to 100 vote victory overTim James for the seat of North Shore.
CBD has previously revealed Wilson’s camp challenged the eligibility of one preselector — former Museum of Contemporary Art directorLisa Paulsen — who despite living in the electorate may be unable to vote because of complicated party rules.
James’ camp appealed,and she was back in.
But hours before the vote at the Norths Leagues Club in Cammeray on Monday night,Wilson’s people appealed again,and she was back out.
If she remained,it would have been a 101 votes to 101 stand-off.
It seems uncertain whether the challenge will proceed,but they are certainly considering it.