The new Northern Grampians Shire Council was officially sworn in by the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) at 5.30pm on Monday 26 October at the Stawell Town Hall.
VEC Election Manager, Ms Clarissa Hyland, announced the council as follows: Kevin Erwin for Central Ward, Tony Driscoll and Karen Hyslop for Kara Kara Ward and Lauren Dempsey, Murray Emerson and Rob Haswell for Stawell Ward.
All councillors were declared elected unopposed except for the South West Ward seat which remains vacant until a by-election is held in November.
Lauren Dempsey is the new face on council serving her first term. In her maiden address, Ms Dempsey said she is looking forward to bringing a new perspective and new ideas to the council. She is also excited to be working with the reelected councillors and hopes to learn a lot from them.
Northern Grampians Shire Council CEO, Liana Thompson is feeling very enthusiastic about working with the newly elected council.
“This will be both a challenging and exciting term for our new council,” she said.
“I envisage that not only will they be making decisions that help us to remain safe from the Coronavirus pandemic but that they will be taking visionary and effectual steps to bolster our local economy and our spirits during this downturned period.
“All of the councillors are familiar faces to many in the region and have been important members of our community.
“I welcome them all on behalf of the shire and look forward to continuing, and in the case of a new member, establishing an effective and productive working relationship during their term of office.
“We are all eager to see this new council in action and wish them all the best steering our shire through what will be a tough term.”
