Councillor Claire Pontin has been elected as MidCoast Council’s Mayor for a second consecutive term following the first ordinary meeting of the new Council.
Mayor Pontin will be supported in her role 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.
Mayor 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,” she said.
“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, Councillor 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,” he said.
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.