Council
14 November, 2024
Fresh faces for council
THE 2024 Moyne Shire Council election results were made official last Friday, with the majority of the new-look council being first-timers.
Successful candidates were councillors Jim Doukas, Karen Foster, Jordan Lockett, Lisa Ryan, Susan Taylor, Lloyd Ross and Myra Murrihy.
The three returning councillors all received the higher number of first preference votes.
Cr Doukas, the longest tenured councillor with more than 20 years’ experience, received the most first preference votes at 2568 – 24.12 per cent of the tally.
Cr Foster was the second elected with 14.84 per cent, followed by Cr Lockett on 12.54 per cent.
Newcomers Cr Ryan, Cr Taylor, Cr Ross and Cr Murrihy all registered between 12.15 per cent and 6.88 per cent.
Moyne Shire election results were declared at the Moyne Shire Council office in Mortlake.
Cr Doukas said, at the results declaration, he was feeling “pretty good” to have been re-elected first with the higher percentage of first preference votes.
“I’m looking forward to another four years of action, and looking after the people of Moyne Shire,” he said.
“I’m happy because people have confidence in me, so that’s the main thing.
“It’s only early days but I can’t see us having any issues – we’ll all go forward and, if we all have the same attitude towards looking after the shire, everything should work smoothly.”
Cr Doukas said council would need to be financially responsible moving forward, echoing sentiments from across local government areas which have raised concerns State Government funding has fallen while more is being added under council jurisdiction.
“Unfortunately, there’s no money,” he said.
“The state spent all the money and then some, so we’re going to have to be very prudent with our expenditure.”
Among the successful candidates was Framlingham farmer Susan Taylor, who said she was “thrilled” to have been elected.
“As a newcomer to the process and being from a small town (Framlingham), I knew I would have to get across the shire to meet people and get to know me,” she said.
“I’m relatively remote, so being on a farm I am very much wanting to support the farming and agricultural industries during my term in office – it’s quite important to me.”
Cr Taylor said getting out among the community prior to the election had helped her gain a better understanding of the issues impacting ratepayers.
“I was lucky enough to be able to get out and about in the lead up to the election and talking to people in Koroit and Port Fairy, the roads always come up as a particular issue,” she said.
“If I’m able to do something to support council in improving that situation, that’s definitely a top priority on my list.
“For many people in the shire, particularly those on the coastline, the wind farms are a big issue.
“That’s something I would like to be able to work on because it’s something those residents are just not in favour of.”
Following the declaration, Moyne Shire Council extended a warm welcome to the newly elected councillors.
Moyne Shire Council chief executive officer Mark Eversteyn also expressed thanks to outgoing councillors James Purcell after a total of 10 years of service, Daniel Meade (8 years), Ian Smith (8 years), and Damian Gleeson (4 years) for their contributions to council.
“I thank the outgoing councillors for their dedication and commitment to the shire, and congratulate those councillors re-elected for another term,” he said.
“Being a member of a local council can be both demanding and rewarding, so we thank all those who put up their hand to represent their community.
“On behalf of all shire employees, I welcome the new council and look forward to continuing to work towards a strong and prosperous community.”
The swearing in of the new council was held on Tuesday in the Port Fairy chambers.
The councillors will elect a mayor at the Ordinary Council Meeting at 2pm on Tuesday, November 26 in Mortlake.