2 August, 2023
Vonhoff appointed Deputy Mayor
Cr Geoff McDonald’s appointment as Mayor has paved the way for Cr Rebecca Vonhoff to take her place as Deputy Mayor, after two failed attempts in the past four years.
At a vote last Friday afternoon, Cr Vonhoff (right) was the winner, obtaining a clear majority over the other nominees, Kerry Shine, Tim McMahon and Megan O’Hara Sullivan.
The voting system required one candidate to be first nominated, which was Cr Vonhoff.
If that nominee received a majority, they would be elected Deputy Mayor, which Cr Vonhoff was.
Cr Vonhoff was first elected to Council at the last election in 2020.
Cr Vonhoff received the most votes, but breaking with tradition, Cr McDonald was chosen as Deputy Mayor by his fellow Councillors despite not receiving the most votes.
In April last year, after two years on the Council, Cr Vonhoff challenged Cr McDonald for the position of Deputy Mayor, however she lost the vote to 7 to 4.
After winning Friday’s vote, Cr Vonhoff said she was excited to take on the role.
“This is an important role in our community, and I want to assure our residents I’m focused on delivering,” she said.
“As Councillors we’re in such a privileged position where we get to represent this wonderful community and I’m grateful to be able to continue serving our residents as Deputy Mayor.
“I look forward to working closely with the newly appointed Mayor and all my colleagues for the remainder of the term.”
Mayor Geoff McDonald congratulated Cr Vonhoff on the appointment and spoke about how the Councillors could now move forward as a team.
“There’s been a lot of change over the past few weeks and this change presents us with a chance to reset our focus as a collective group,” he said.
“As a united team, we’re committed to working collaboratively in the best interests of our community.
“I’m pleased to see Cr Vonhoff appointed in this role and wish them all the best as our Deputy Mayor.”
Although the new Mayor and Deputy Mayor have been chosen, nominations are still open for the vacant Councillor position, closing at 5pm Tuesday, 15 August.
Nominations are invited from any person who is qualified to be a Councillor, and from each person who was a candidate for election at the previous Local Government election in 2020.
