Councillor Claire Pontin has been elected as MidCoast Council’s Mayor for a second consecutive term at yesterday’s first ordinary meeting of the new MidCoast Council.
She will be supported by Deputy Mayor Jeremy Miller.
Both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor will hold office until September 2026.
The new look team of Councillors include Phillip Beazley, Michael Graham, Hugh McKenzie, Thomas O’Keefe, Nicole Turnbull and Digby Wilson as the newly elected and Peter Howard, Jeremy Miller, Claire Pontin, Dheera Smith and Alan Tickle as the returning contingent.
As the returning Mayor, Cr Pontin said she was looking forward to getting back to work.
“There’s plenty of work to do and I look forward to picking it up again. We are systematically working through issues and it’s important to keep this momentum going.
“I look forward to working with this new team. It’s always good to get fresh perspectives and for existing policies to be challenged. I look forward to working with all of the Councillors as we aim to deliver improved outcomes for the community.
Following his election as Deputy Mayor, Cr Miller said the role was about supporting the Mayor and working with all Councillors.
“There are 11 Councillors around the table and my role is to work with all councillors for the benefit of the community.”
Councillors were also appointed to a number of committees at the meeting.
These include Deputy Mayor, Jeremy Miller who was appointed as a non-voting member to the MidCoast’s independent Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee.
Councillors Peter Howard and Mick Graham were appointed to the Asset Advisory Committee which also includes the Mayor and Deputy Mayor. Councillors Alan Tickle and Thomas O’Keefe were voted on to the Joint Regional Planning Panel.
Attendees and voting delegates were also finalised for the Local Government NSW annual conference. The Mayor along with Councillors Nicole Turnbull, Thomas O’Keefe, Alan Tickle, Digby Wilson, Dheera Smith, Mal McKenzie and Phillip Beazley will represent Council at the event on 18 and 19 November. This Conference is a great learning opportunity, especially for new Councillors.
The Mayor and Councillors Smith, McKenzie and Turnbull were nominated as voting delegates for the conference.
