It was the game of "will he or won't he" that grew increasingly pointless in recent months.
For a long time, political circles have been abuzz with chatter about whether Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas would put his hand up for the Liberals at the next state election.
Over time, it's only become more certain that he would.
But without any confirmation, the headlines and the speculation have continued and grown louder.
Now, the first stage of his political story is over, with Zempilas declaring his hand yesterday.
The next part – which is far less clear than the first – will now start to take shape.
By applying to join the party he's started a 30-day period during which objections to his membership can be lodged.
If there are none, he'll become a party member right in time to nominate for preselection in the seat of Churchlands, at which point his fate is in the hands of local party members.
Star power hard to ignore
You'd think that for many, the star power the experienced broadcaster-turned-mayor brings to the depleted party — which has struggled to get back up from its 2021 smashing — would be hard to ignore.
After three decades in the media it often seems he's most comfortable in front of the camera or behind a microphone.
It's an attractive prospect for the party, especially given the role its poor media performance played in its 2021 undoing.
"I can only see positives, I can't see any negatives," one senior Liberal said on the condition of anonymity, because they were not authorised to speak publicly.
"He's respected as a communicator, as a good communicator, and so hopefully he can bring that skill because that's necessary in what we do."
That skill – and name recognition – could be key to turning around the Liberals' media performance in 2025.
He's one of the few West Australians most would recognise from his first name alone thanks to a career spanning TV, radio and print.
The combined power of his media presence – helped by his high-profile role in the Seven West media empire – and being lord mayor since 2020 has boosted his profile even further.
But that attention hasn't always been helpful.
No stranger to criticism
He attracted criticism in 2020, before he was lord mayor, for using his newspaper column to threaten to remove "disgusting" rough sleepers from city malls "forcibly, if that's what it takes".
A year later he attracted backlash from Perth's trans and LGBTIQ+ community for comments on his radio show that it was "wrong" for someone to identify as a gender different to their physical anatomy, for which he later apologised, saying he "forgot" for a brief moment he was lord mayor.
Even yesterday, controversy erupted over comments he made before a press conference about a women's tennis final, which he insisted were taken out of context.
For the most part though, he's harnessed that attention in recent years to further his own causes, including battles with the state government over the funding of a community pool, how the CBD parking levy is spent and arrangements for an overnight women's shelter in the CBD.
These are fights that have helped him develop a clear political position, usually at odds with the government.
Power plays
His most recent run-in gives some insight into how the government perceives the idea of competing against him.
On the day of the shelter's closure, WA Premier Roger Cook and his ministers piled onto the lord mayor in press conferences and in parliament.
Cook described it as "entirely regrettable and entirely avoidable", laying blame at Zempilas's feet.
Minister for Women's Interests, Sue Ellery, described his actions as "one of either the most stupid or the most lacking in value political judgements that [she had] seen".
Even as recently as this month, Homelessness Minister John Carey described Zempilas' actions as "bizarre and erratic" as debate over the issue drags on.
And again last week, Cook was trading political barbs with his future adversary.
"Basil Zempilas just three months ago said that he was going to be the City of Perth lord mayor for the next four years and now just three months later, he turns his back on the people of Perth," he said on Thursday.
"I think he needs to front the people of Perth and explain why he's now changed his tune."
Labor, it seems, are worried. The ferocity behind some of their response to Zempilas would be hard to read few other ways.
It's not because he's the type of candidate that appeals to everyone. His previous controversies, and a look at online comments, show that's not the case.
But it doesn't need to be.
Future leader of WA Liberals?
A key lesson the Liberals took from the last election was a perception they needed to recapture their core base.
In Zempilas's case, that means winning back part of the party's heartland in Churchlands and hopefully helping pick up a few other seats along the way.
If he can do that, the question could turn very quickly to whether his performance in both respects warrants current leader Libby Mettam keeping her job after the next poll, or whether she'll be pressured to make way.
But first he needs to get through the next stage of his political journey.
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