General News
29 November, 2024
Grace La Vella appointed mayor for second term, Ben Green named shire’s first deputy mayor
Councillor Grace La Vella has been elected Central Goldfields Shire’s new mayor for the second time as she looks to steer the ship of the new look council alongside new deputy mayor Ben Green.
At a statutory council meeting on Tuesday, councillors convened to appoint a mayor for the next 12 months as well as discuss the possibility of a deputy mayor and councillor’s appointments to various committees.
Former mayor and Flynn Ward councillor Liesbeth Long nominated herself to be reappointed, while fellow councillor Anna De Villiers recommended Cr La Vella to be in contention.
In the end, Cr La Vella edged out Cr Long in a four to three vote, with new councillors Geoff Bartlett and Cr Green electing alongside Cr De Villiers to return Cr La Vella to the top job.
Councillor Gerard Murphy also presented himself to be considered for the role, however, he wasn’t a part of the vote after no other councillor seconded his nomination.
Having previously been elected mayor back in 2022, Cr La Vella said she is ready to lead a new council consisting of three fresh faces.
“It’s a very exciting time, I think the new council is the start of something new for this community,” she said.
“There’s a lot of mixed feelings, it’s sad to see the old guard go but it’s good to see the new [councillors] coming in.
“I put it as a positive challenge because the new councillors are very keen, they are willing to learn and they are already very considerate councillors.
“We have still got to ascertain what the new councillors wish to see for the shire’s future.
“We have got to go through our budget so we will understand more as to what the budget will equip us for going into the future.
“I’ll be helping to guide them — I haven’t got a personal agenda except to make this shire fantastic.”
Following the mayor vote, Cr De Villiers moved an amended motion for council to establish the first deputy mayor in Central Goldfields Shire history for a 12 month term.
The motion went against the recommendation tabled in the officer’s report and faced opposition from Cr Murphy who suggested councillors continue to share the role.
“We have never had a deputy mayor because of previous practices, I believe we’ve got a new regime [and] as such it would be nice to have a different structure,” Cr De Villiers said at the meeting.
“Last year especially I’ve noticed the explicit need for somebody to be in the role of deputy mayor, there were a number of instances where there was just not an obvious person to fulfill the role.”
Council voted to adopt the amended motion six to one, paving the way for Cr Green to be nominated unopposed.
Cr Murphy was the only councillor who elected to go against the amended motion and the appoint-ment of Cr Green.
Cr Green said he feels honoured and excited to be assigned his new role.
“I’m very proud to be entrusted with this important role in my first term as councillor. I look forward to supporting our mayor — and all of our councillors over the coming year,” Cr Green said.
Council’s decision to elect a deputy mayor will cost the shire a further $16,000 based on council allowances set by the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal.
During her speech to close the meeting, Cr La Vella said she is “prepared to decline a mayoral vehicle as well as one third of the mayor allowance” (totalling to just over $28,000) to save money for “the requirement of the deputy mayor”.