Three-time Maribyrnong mayor and rising star of the Australian Labor Party Sarah Carter has been found dead at her home at the age of 45. Victoria Police confirmed they were preparing a report for the coroner after finding a woman at her Village Way address at 3.45pm.
The death is not being treated as suspicious. The cause of her death is not yet known. The Age spoke to many of Carter’s friends and colleagues on Tuesday, all of whom were devastated and shocked by the death of the councillor.
They described her as talented, empathetic energetic and passionate. Her friends spoke of her love of travel. She had recently returned from a trip to Vanuatu with her employer, charity provider Save the Children.
Sarah Carter was elected mayor of Maribyrnong three times. Carter was touted by many as a future Labor MP and was well liked and well known in political circles in both Melbourne and Canberra. The first woman to be elected mayor of Maribyrnong three times, she received multiple awards for her contribution to the council since she was first elected in 2008.
She was in her fourth consecutive term on the council. The councillor, who had recently started a new relationship, had spoken publicly about her struggles with IVF in recent years. Maribyrnong City Council deputy mayor Michael Clarke described Carter as a “fallen hero” and most decorated female councillor in the history of the municipality.
Clarke said he had known Carter for 16 years and introduced her to the Labor par.