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New Bass Coast Mayor Rochelle Halstead and Deputy Mayor Brett Tessari, seated. Back, from left,
Crs Meg Edwards, Jan Thompson, Mat Morgan, Ron Bauer, Tracey Bell, Jon Temby and Tim O’Brien.
By Catherine Watson
AFTER two terms as Deputy Mayor of Bass Coast, Cr Rochelle Halstead has been elected as Bass Coast Mayor today at the first public meeting of the new council.
After a week of wheeling and dealing, the mayoralty appeared headed for a showdown with three-time mayor Brett Tessari but in the end Cr Halstead was the sole candidate.
Cr Tessari was elected unopposed as deputy mayor.
The bloodless elections allow the new council to start their four-year term without the rancour that marked the final year of the previous council after a bitter mayoralty contest a year ago.
AFTER two terms as Deputy Mayor of Bass Coast, Cr Rochelle Halstead has been elected as Bass Coast Mayor today at the first public meeting of the new council.
After a week of wheeling and dealing, the mayoralty appeared headed for a showdown with three-time mayor Brett Tessari but in the end Cr Halstead was the sole candidate.
Cr Tessari was elected unopposed as deputy mayor.
The bloodless elections allow the new council to start their four-year term without the rancour that marked the final year of the previous council after a bitter mayoralty contest a year ago.
Cr Halstead thanked her fellow councillors for the trust they had shown in her.
She said the co-operation shown by the new council team during the past week augured well for a successful council. “Our community have chosen well with this group.”
The new mayor comes with a lot of experience. She was elected to Frankston City Council in 2003 and elected Frankston mayor in 2004. She was the Liberal Party candidate for the seat of Frankston in the 2006 state election. (She is no longer a member of a political party.)
She and her husband Tony own and operate the Tides Bar and Grill in Tooradin. They have lived in Bass Coast for eight years and had a holiday house for five years before that.
During her first term on the council, she completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors course, covering governance, risk, liabilities and finance.
Councillors voted to retain the one-year mayoral term, meaning the others will get their own chance at the top job this time next year.
She said the co-operation shown by the new council team during the past week augured well for a successful council. “Our community have chosen well with this group.”
The new mayor comes with a lot of experience. She was elected to Frankston City Council in 2003 and elected Frankston mayor in 2004. She was the Liberal Party candidate for the seat of Frankston in the 2006 state election. (She is no longer a member of a political party.)
She and her husband Tony own and operate the Tides Bar and Grill in Tooradin. They have lived in Bass Coast for eight years and had a holiday house for five years before that.
During her first term on the council, she completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors course, covering governance, risk, liabilities and finance.
Councillors voted to retain the one-year mayoral term, meaning the others will get their own chance at the top job this time next year.
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Best journalist and journal in South Gippsland.
How lucky are we!
Now that the election is over it’s time to act. The Councillors have been elected to act on behalf of all rate payers for the benefit of the Bass Coast Shire.
It is critical that the Council acts on the Urban Roads and Drainage improvement Policy 2024.
Justc implement the policy as quickly as possible because if you don’t it will just get a lot more expensive and difficult.
Do not let the plan get covered in dust.
Just remember that “The unmade roads and inadequate stormwater drainage creates issues for the communities such as dust, mud, potholes, flooding, disconnected pedestrian networks and dynamic traffic safety.”
It time to do.