New shire mayor, deputy mayor elected

THE new Surf Coast Shire council has chosen Cr Mike Bodsworth to be mayor for the first year of its four-year term.

Cr Libby Stapleton was also elected as deputy mayor for the same 12-month period at a special council meeting held earlier today (Thursday, November 14).

It is Cr Bodsworth’s first term as mayor, succeeding Cr Liz Pattison in the role, and he said it was a huge honour to be elected to the position by his fellow councillors.

“We’ve got an exciting new council with important work to do.

“New councillors bring new perspectives and I think a fresh council is a great thing. We have a healthy diversity of views.

“I’d like to thank all of my fellow councillors and the Surf Coast Shire community who are a great community to work with.”

“One of my first priorities is to work together to build a strong Council culture and one of our first pieces of work will be the Council Plan, which will serve as an essential roadmap.”

He said the Council Plain would involve a lot of community engagement.

“We’ve got some other exciting projects coming up including the Surf Coast Aquatic and Health Centre and Winchelsea pool and adventure play space redevelopment.”

A father of two who lives in Anglesea, Cr Bodsworth thanked his family for their ongoing support.

Cr Stapleton said she was grateful for the opportunity to support the new council as deputy mayor.

“I want to work closely with all my fellow councillors to help ensure we get off to a really strong start in this new council term.

“I thank my fellow councillors for their support.

“For us as councillors, it is our relationship with each other, with our communities, with council officers and with representatives of the various agencies and organisations, that will be pivotal to our success.”

“We are all elected representatives and each of us has a critical role to play in leading our community and contributing to the overall performance of council.”

“Listening to each other respectfully, taking time to build relationships, and doing my best to understand the priorities and values of each councillor will be important to me in the role of deputy.”

The first regular meeting of the new council will be held on November 26.