Newly elected Blayney deputy mayor David Somervaille says preserving what makes the shire and its villages unique while also managing major development in the region will be one of the big challenges for council throughout this term.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Cr Somervaille was elected as deputy mayor on Thursday night, pipping councillor Bruce Reynolds via a vote in the new council's first formal gathering at the Blayney Shire Council chambers.
Voting was conducted through a show of hands with Cr Somervaille receiving the votes of new councillors Craig Gosewisch and Michelle Pryse Jones and incumbents Scott Ferguson and Allan Ewin, along with his own.
Cr Reynolds received two votes; from himself and John Newstead.
Incumbent mayor, Cr Ferguson won another term in the top job unopposed.
Cr Ferguson has been mayor for the last nine years but this will be Cr Somervaille's first run as deputy, and the latter says the support he received in the chamber on Thursday night has given him confidence heading into 2022.
"This will be my third term on council, and I've enjoyed the time. I feel like I can make a reasonable contribution as deputy mayor. The support was gratifying," Cr Somervaille said.
He believes one of the major challenges for the new council heading into the new term is managing the growth of the shire.
"Blayney shire, like a lot of areas around Orange, is undergoing rapid change, demographic change, and a lot of development. It's important to listen to the community, apply our own judgement and make sensible decision," Cr Somervaille said.
Cr Ferguson agreed. He said for a long time it was the role of councils to encourage growth and, now that boom is here, managing its impact on the shire is the key.
"The growth is exponential at the moment," the re-elected mayor said. "But it's an exciting time. There's a lot of mayor DAs we'll need to consider. It'll be a big job for the council."
One of those big jobs is a proposed solar farm for Blayney, which council has designs on developing.
We've got Michelle and Craig on board and they'll bring a lot of experience to the role.
- Blayney mayor Scott Ferguson
Cr Ferguson said there's many advantages of the project in the shire, with the ability to reduce operating costs for council, cut emissions and potentially sell off surplus energy.
Cr Ferguson added he is excited by the new-look council, one he dubbed "refreshed and experienced".
"We've got Michelle and Craig on board and they'll bring a lot of experience to the role," he added.
In the other vote for the night, the positions on both Upper Macquarie County Council and Central Tablelands Water County Council were declared.
As an employee of CTW Cr Gosewisch had declared a conflict of interest and didn't participate in the election of councillors on the CTW County Council.
Councillors Newstead, Ewin and Somervaille were all nominated for the two positions.
The vote was undertaken by the preferential system via a secret ballot with councillors electing Cr Somervaille in the first round.
In the second round of voting the vote was three each for councillors Ewin and Newstead and in a somewhat surreal moment Cr Newstead was eliminated from the contest via a draw from the hat.
With two councillors nominating for the two positions on Upper Macquarie County Council there was no election and councillors Ewin and Reynolds gained those two roles.
The final item on the agenda was if one of the councillors was to resign from council within 18 months the position would be backfilled by Iris Dorsett.
Blayney's first council meeting of the new year will be on Monday, January 17.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.centralwesterndaily.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Catch up on our news headlines at Google News
HAVE YOUR SAY
- Send us a letter to the editor using the form below ...