Gareth Graham has been elected Alpine Shire Mayor at last night’s Ordinary Council Meeting, with Councillor Sarah Nicholas elected as Deputy Mayor.
Mayor Graham thanked his fellow Councillors for their support.
“Every Councillor has contributed to this last 12 months of this new Council term, none more than Cr Sarah Nicholas who, using her experience, has guided us through an extensive education phase,” he said.
“I must also recognise the power of work she put into the Porepunkah incident, liaising with government departments, ministers, and behind the scenes.”
Mayor Graham said he did not plan any wholesale changes, but wanted to lead a team that utilised the unique skills that each Councillor brings, including seeing the new Deputy Mayor being more involved in decision-making.
“We know we’re heading into financial hard times and need to make some tough decisions,” he said.
“We have benefited from disaster funding, bushfire, flood, and landslip in recent years. That’s now gone.”
The new Mayor also said the Council needed to be more frugal.
“We will be somewhat restricted in lavish community funding, but we will still prioritise you, our community,” he said.
“We are all your representatives. Come and talk to us.”
Both Mayor and Deputy Mayor will serve a one-year term.
