City of Ryde Councillors last night re-elected Clr Sarkis Yedelian OAM as Mayor for another 12-month term.
At the same time, Clr Daniel Han was elected Deputy Mayor.
Clr Yedelian won the Mayoral election by 7 votes to 4 over the other nominated candidate, Clr Penny Pedersen while in the Deputy Mayoral election Clr Han won by the same margin over Clr Katie O’Reilly.
Clr Yedelian, who was originally elected Mayor on 13 December 2022, is City of Ryde’s longest-serving Councillor, having first joined Council in 2004.
He thanked his fellow Councillors for their continued faith in him and said he was looking forward to another term serving the people of Ryde.
“It has been a privilege to be Mayor of this great City and my candidacy was based on the welfare of the City of Ryde for the next 12 months,” he said.
“Our local government area is one of great diversity and inclusivity and I am determined to ensure that harmony continues to thrive, along with our continued economic growth and our commitment to Net Zero Emissions targets.
“Working collaboratively, we can achieve great things together.”
Clr Han is a local high school teacher who has worked and lived in Ryde for over 20 years. He is passionate about making Ryde a more vibrant, innovative, and sustainable City to serve its fast-growing community.
“I’d like to thank my fellow Councillors,” he said. “This is a great honour, and I am looking forward to what is an amazing opportunity to further serve the City of Ryde.”
Both Clr Yedelian and Clr Han will hold their positions until the next local government elections on 14 September 2024, when enrolled residents will begin to take on the responsibility of electing future Mayors.
The change in the election process is the result of a constitutional referendum held at the 4 December 2021 local government elections when an overwhelming majority of City of Ryde voters – 76.18% to 23.82% – supported the adoption of a popularly elected Mayor for fixed four-year terms.
