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Independent Councillor Meredith Dennis OAM has been appointed as Deputy Mayor of Tweed Shire until December 2023, following a Deputy Mayoral election at an Extraordinary Meeting of Council this afternoon.
Cr Dennis, who is serving her first term as Councillor, nominated for the position unopposed.
She received unanimous support from her fellow Councillors.
Cr Dennis will join Mayor of Tweed Shire Chris Cherry in the leadership role for the next 12 months. Under a 2016 Tweed Shire Council resolution, the position of Deputy Mayor is appointed for a term of 12 months, while the Mayoral position is appointed for two years.
Thanking Councillors for their support, Cr Dennis paid tribute to her predecessor, Cr Reece Byrnes, who served in the role for the past two years.
“I know I have very big shoes to fill and am very grateful for the opportunity to serve as Deputy Mayor,” Cr Dennis said.
“I will try my best to represent Council and the community over the next year as we continue in our efforts to recover from the recent flood and the COVID-19 pandemic and their associated challenges.”
Outgoing Deputy Mayor Cr Byrnes congratulated Cr Dennis on her appointment before reflecting on his achievements.
“It has been a most challenging and unprecedented two years for the Tweed,” Cr Byrnes said.
“The COVID-19 pandemic decimated the Shire, and I did my best to stand up for the community in calling for a border bubble and pointing out the COVID loopholes.
“I also stood up for the parents and students of our four public schools in Murwillumbah who oppose the State Government’s proposed merger of the schools.”
Other highlights outlined by Cr Byrne included his role in helping to secure drone technology for surf life-saving clubs on the Tweed Coast and lobbying to get the Tweed to become the first Council in NSW to sign up to the Green Hats for Aaron initiative, which promotes safety for apprentices in the workplace.
Cr Cherry, who will serve as Mayor until the mid-term mayoral election in September 2023, thanked Cr Byrnes for his contribution and looked forward to working with Cr Dennis over the next year.
The current elected Councillors will serve a reduced term of 2 years and 8 months as a result of the 2020 election being rescheduled, with the next election due in September 2024.
