PETER Murrihy is the new mayor of the City of Greater Geelong, voted in by his fellow councillors during tonight\u2019s (Friday, June 17) special meeting at City Hall.<\/p>\n
Cr Murrihy, from the Brownbill Ward, is the 14th mayor since the formation of the amalgamated City of Greater Geelong in 1995.<\/p>\n
He replaces Cr Stephanie Asher, who announced she would step down about three weeks after unsuccessfully running as the Liberal candidate for the federal seat of Corangamite.<\/p>\n
A Newtown resident, Cr Murrihy was elected to the council for the first time in 2017 and served as deputy mayor from the time of his election until October 2019.<\/p>\n
He chairs the council\u2019s Economic Development, Heritage, Innovative Solutions, and Leisure and Recreation portfolios, and represents the Council on the Geelong Major Events Committee.<\/p>\n
He is also deputy chair of the Tourism portfolio and co-deputy chair of the Arts, Live Entertainment and Hospitality portfolio.<\/p>\n
Cr Murrihy will occupy his position until the next scheduled council elections in November.<\/p>\n
Cr Trent Sullivan from the Bellarine Ward will continue to serve as the region\u2019s deputy mayor until that time.<\/p>\n
Cr Murrihy said he was excited by the opportunity to lead the council.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m thankful for the support of my fellow councillors and really, really excited about this honour.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not something I ever saw coming in my life, even when I first joined the council. I arrived in Geelong straight out of country Victoria as a 19 year-old and didn\u2019t know one person. So to be in this position now is something I\u2019m proud of.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited about what Geelong has to offer. There is a bit of a fog around politically, and I\u2019m hoping my appointment will go a long way to clearing the air.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe local members of parliament will be the first ones I reach out to for a coffee, to talk about what the future holds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thank my wife and daughters for their support, my siblings, and my 86-year-old mum.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also thank Cr Stephanie Asher for her service as mayor, and I look forward to working alongside deputy mayor Sullivan.<\/p>\n
\u201cGeelong is a great place with an exciting future, and I\u2019ll be working hard to make sure we achieve our potential<\/p>\n
\u201cGaining this position is one thing \u2013 it\u2019s now what happens in the future and I\u2019m looking forward to getting straight to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
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PETER Murrihy is the new mayor of the City of Greater Geelong, voted in by his fellow councillors during tonight\u2019s (Friday, June 17) special meeting at City Hall. Cr Murrihy, from the Brownbill Ward, is the 14th mayor since the formation of the amalgamated City of Greater Geelong in 1995. He replaces Cr Stephanie Asher, […]<\/p>\n