Frankston City councillors have elected Cr Sue Baker as Mayor for the next 12 months at a special meeting at the Frankston Civic Centre on Wednesday 10 December.
Cr Baker will lead the council following a term in which outgoing Mayor Cr Kris Bolam oversaw major budget decisions, city shaping projects and governance reforms, setting a high bar for the year ahead. Councillors also voted to appoint Cr Cherie Wanat as Deputy Mayor.
Full gallery as Baker takes the chair
The vote was held in front of a full public gallery, with more residents watching online.
After the result was confirmed and she donned the Mayoral robe, Cr Baker opened her first remarks by thanking the community for its interest in council business.
Good evening everyone, everyone in the gallery. It’s so nice to see a full gallery, that always excites me to see people taking interest in local government. So thank you for all being here tonight and thank you to everybody who I know will be watching from home.
She described the Mayoral election as a key moment on the local government calendar.
This is a big night in the calendar of local government and so I’m delighted to be here welcoming you all to the next year and very much looking forward to working with everybody in chamber, in community and far and wide outside of our municipality because we know there is so much interest in what we’re doing here in Frankston. So thank you to everyone.
“Phenomenal year” and nod to Butler’s first term
Reflecting on the past 12 months, Cr Baker said councillors had worked through a substantial agenda.
We’ve had a phenomenal year this year, an awful lot of things have been happening, have been discussed, have been progressed.
She noted the work that Cr Nathan Butler has been leading in his first year on council, alongside contributions from the rest of the chamber.
Councillor Butler mentioned a whole raft of initiatives that he’s been championing which we’re all very proud of but everyone as I look around the room, Councillor Conroy, Councillor Kris Bolam, Councillor Asker, Councillor Wanat, Councillor O’Reilly, Councillor Hill and Councillor Green have all contributed phenomenally this year, and I’m going to have to get used to saying all these names regularly. It has been a real pleasure to be part of this councillor group.
Cr Baker also acknowledged Cr Butler’s decision to nominate for the Mayoral role.
I do want to give a special call out to Councillor Butler for putting his hand up tonight to be mayor. I’m sure your time will come, that’s probably a bit cliche to say that but it takes a lot to put your hand up to be a councillor.
I think everybody in this room knows that and three councillors in the gallery know that as well, it takes a lot to put your hand up to even be here so I feel very privileged to have the honour of leading and working with you all over the next 12 months.
New CEO and “different vibe” ahead
Looking ahead, Cr Baker said there was a sense of change within the organisation as councillors prepare to work with incoming Chief Executive Officer Tennille Bradley.
There is a shift, there is a different feeling, there’s a different vibe so we’re all looking forward to working with Tennille Bradley and understanding what her vibe’s going to be and working with her and letting her know how we want the vibe to be because we’ve got a lot of experience in this organisation and in this council chamber so I’m definitely looking forward to that moment.
She said she was “really, really excited and enthused” to spend the next 12 months building on the work already under way, as the new leadership team of Cr Baker and Cr Wanat works with councillors into the second half of the term.
