Elsie Lange
Macedon Ranges council has elected East Ward councillor Annette Death to serve as mayor for a one year-term.
At the scheduled council meeting on Tuesday, November 22, Cr Death said as a first-term mayor she had a lot to learn, but the depth of knowledge on council of both local issues and government would be an asset.
“I welcome the opportunity to grow into the role with each of you and as a team,” Cr Death said.
“With our [chief executive Bernie O’Sullivan] in the role for about 18 months, and a fully staffed executive leadership team, we are in a good position to onboard a first term mayor.”
She said for her, the role of mayor was about bringing people together, “to encourage diversity of opinion and robust conversation”. She said collaboration and community were important elements for doing so.
“As mayor, that’s where my focus will be. Forward looking, solutions oriented and working together with everyone in a constructive and supportive approach to being in the best position we can be to govern in the best interests of the community,” Cr Death said.
“My partner has been very supportive of this decision, because as we all know being a councillor is time demanding, so the support and encouragement from family and friends enables us to do these roles.”
Cr Death thanked outgoing mayor, West Ward councillor Jennifer Anderson, for her commitment to the role over the last two years, and during her five terms as mayor. Cr Anderson was elected deputy mayor at the meeting.
“I would like to note again that in [her] time there was a significant program of work due to legislative requirements under the 2020 Local Government Act… the recruitment of a new [chief executive] and onboarding a new cohort of councillors with varied levels of experience,” she said.
“This was further compounded by COVID-19 lockdowns and extreme weather and storm events.
“All through that, Cr Anderson has demonstrated experience and thoughtful leadership throughout the two mayoral terms.”
Cr Death said there was “still much work to do” over the next 12 months.
“From strategic planning projects, budgetary implications with inflation and rising costs, ongoing storm recovery and environment impacts, just to name a few,” she said.
Details: mrsc.vic.gov.au/councillors.
