Deputy Mayor Shaun Whitechurch and Mayor Pat Bourke will lead Federation Council for the remainder of the council term.
Federation Council will continue under the same leadership after Cr Pat Bourke and Cr Shaun Whitechurch were re-elected to their positions on Friday morning.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Cr David Longley was absent from the Extraordinary Meeting.
Cr Bourke was the only nomination for the position of Mayor, while Cr Whitechurch and Cr Rowena Black both nominated for deputy mayor.
Council opted with the ordinary (secret) ballot method of voting.
Prior to the election, Cr Aaron Nicholls, during his opening remarks, outlined the reasons for convening the Extraordinary Meeting, highlighting the importance of maximizing council member participation in the election.
Had the election been held during the scheduled Tuesday meeting would have resulted in a lower quorum due to leave and travel commitments with councillors Black, Longley, and Nicholls not present.
“This arrangement would have meant that only 60 per cent of councillors would have been present for this significant vote,” Cr Nicholls said.
“We gather here to elect the right people for the job of mayor and deputy mayor. How good would it be to see a new councillor - perhaps even a female, move into one of the roles?
“This would show strong leadership on behalf of council and those in the community that change is good, for an electorate where traditionally change has been slow.
“I’d like to close by saying this, in the words of the great Russian Leader, Mikhael Gorbachev ‘Democracy must learn to defend itself’.”
The mayor was elected unopposed while Cr Whitechurch was elected deputy mayor 5 votes to 3.
“I am honoured to have been re-elected as deputy mayor of Federation Council,” Cr Whitechurch told the Free Press.
Cr Aaron Nicholls speaks on the need for broad representation and strong leadership prior to the election.
“This reaffirms my commitment and integrity in the community. I have enjoyed serving our community for the last seven years with the best interests of our residents at heart.
“I look forward to working alongside Mayor Bourke and fellow councillors over the next 12 months to make positive contributions and address the challenges that lie ahead for our region.”
Mayor Bourke congratulated Cr Whitechurch and Cr Black for their nominations and thanked the council for placing their trust in him for the next twelve months.
“I want to thank you sincerely for how council has come together. It takes a period of time for us to get to know one another and have that trust and confidence in one another and make decisions in good faith for the betterment of our community,” he said.
“Let’s have a good last twelve months together and achieve as much as we can.”
In other news, endorsement of the financial statements following review by Federation Council’s Audit Risk and Improvement Committee and an update on the Independent Peer Review are to be the subjects of an Extraordinary Council Meeting on Tuesday 24 October 2023 at 9.30am.
11°C