Mayor Mark Honey (left) and Deputy Mayor Andrew Sloan (right) welcome the new
Director of Corporate & Commercial Services, Rob Owens

Councillor Mark Honey has been elected unopposed as Mayor for the second half of the Council term.

The former Deputy Mayor, Kathy Rice, chose not to stand again and Councillor Andrew Sloan was elected, after he and Councillor Warren Steel nominated.

Mayor Honey is keen to continue the strategic planning work he has championed, but also get infrastructure projects finished in the next two years.

“I want to see Blue Haven completed, the Minnamurra Boardwalk built, the eco walk in Bombo Quarry completed, and the works at Kevin Walsh oval done,” he says.

Councillor Sloan is looking forward to the responsibilities of the new role.

“The Mayor and I work well together and I hope to be able to assist more with maintaining good governance – enhancing Council’s reputation in the areas of community consultation, financial responsibility and service delivery,” he says.

“From a personal perspective I would like to see options to reduce congestion up the western end of Terralong Street, and improve facilities at our sportsfields.

“Above all else though, and the reason I stood for council in the first place, is to do as much as I can to protect the character of our towns and rural areas from inappropriate development.”

Councillor Kathy Rice decided not to stand again for the Deputy Mayor role, because she sees value in others being able to have the opportunity to gain professional development.

“I am extremely thankful to have the experiences I did, experiences that have and will continue to consolidate my performance as a councillor.”

A new Director of Corporate & Commercial Services has been appointed to Council, following Kerry McMurray taking on the role of General Manager.

Rob Owens was previously Chief Financial Officer at Georges River Council, where he produced the newly-created Council’s first budget.