BLAYNEY mayor Bruce Kingham will not contest the September local government elections, ending a 21-year career and paving the way for new leadership at the council.
Councillor Kingham announced his decision to a meeting of the Wellington Blayney Cabonne (WBC) alliance last Tuesday.
"At the WBC [which Cr Kingham serves as chairman of] meeting, when we were planning our program for next year, I announced that I would not be standing for re-election," he said.
"I have reached retirement age and I am retiring from local government after 21 consecutive years on Blayney Shire Council."
Cr Kingham said he wanted to thank shire residents for giving him the opportunity to serve them for more than two decades.
"As a councillor I have always had the ratepayers and residents in mind when making decisions," he said.
"I have always supported development, growth and progress, and this leads to jobs.
"The shire has one of the lowest unemployment rates in NSW and it has been very satisfying to watch the growth of our shire over the last few years."
Cr Kingham has spent many years at the helm of Blayney Shire Council, serving as mayor for eight years from 1993-94, 2004-05 and 2008-12.
He served as deputy mayor in 1991-92 and 1999-2000.
In addition to his mayoral duties, the Millthorpe-based farmer and businessman has served as a member of several regional committees including the Association of Mining Related Councils, Business Enterprise Centre, Ophir and Upper Macquarie County Councils.
Cr Kingham said he would be leaving Blayney Shire Council in a very strong financial position.
"We are on target to finish this financial year with a good surplus," he said.
"We have approximately $8 million in restricted reserves and have a very small debt. We now have a strong management team in place."
Three of Blayney’s seven councillors [Kevin Radburn, Scott Ferguson and Geoff Braddon] have announced they will seek re-election in September.
Councillor's Roxanne Reeks, Don Bell and Alan Ewin are yet to publicly reveal their future plans beyond September.