WELLINGTON Shire Council Mayor Ian Bye says people should expect more of the same from the council with his successful re-election bid, saying “nothing has changed at all”.
Wellington Shire Council will continue to be efficient with decision-making, he added.
“All of the counsellors support each other, and we get along very well,” Cr Bye said.
“If we have issues, we sort them out very quickly. We’re not like other councils that play out in the public eye and have troubles. We’ve got a great track record.
“If you want negatives, look at any of our rival shires, and you’ll find so much.”
Unlike last year, Cr Bye’s re-election bid was contested. Opposing him were four dissenters – Garry Stephens of the coastal ward nominated Marcus McKenzie, also from the coastal ward; Carmel Ripper of the northern ward voted for Cr McKenzie; and former Deputy Mayor John Tatterson of the coastal ward, nominated himself but received no votes from the other councillors.
In what was supposed to be his “outgoing” speech, Cr Bye praised the achievements of the council for promoting “The Middle of Everywhere” image.
“Over the last year, council has achieved a lot in looking after our community, but we have seen some challenges as well, such as the announcement of the early closure of the timber industry,” he said.
“It was hard for our community, but our community is very resilient, and we got through that.
“We’ve also seen some exciting announcements. We had ministers fly down to East Sale and announce us as the first area for offshore wind in Australia.
“Recently, we announced the redevelopment of Aqua Energy being our biggest project ever at $23,000,000.”
The election for Deputy Mayor was also contested, with Cr Gayle Maher of the coastal ward winning with six votes, following a nomination by Cr Stephens.
Cr Ripper was nominated and received support from Cr Tatterson and Cr Mackenzie.
This is Cr Maher’s first time in this position, and she thanked the councillors for the nomination.
“I would like to support the Mayor in promoting the Wellington Shire as being a proactive and contemporary Shire that is willing to engage with stakeholders and members of our community,” she said.
Cr Tatterson was not nominated and did not put up his hand, ending his time as Deputy Mayor.
When asked why he did not run for deputy mayor, Cr Tatterson sidestepped the topic, instead giving compliments to Cr Maher.
“Councillor Maher indicated she was going to stand for deputy mayor, and she’ll do an outstanding job, so I was happy for Cr Maher to fulfil that role for the following 12 months,” he said.
At the election’s conclusion, Wellington Shire Council’s re-elected mayor presented Cr Rossetti with a plaque in recognition of the central ward councillor’s 15 years of service.
“Not a lot of people get these sorts of awards,” Cr Bye said.
“It is a show of dedication to the residents of the Wellington Shire that not only does he want to reside here, but he also wants to make a difference by being on Council. So congratulations on 15 years of dedication.”
