Councillors Elect Stephen Batty As Mornington Peninsula Shire Mayor

Cr Stephen Batty has been elected Mornington Peninsula Shire Mayor after councillors broke a two-week deadlock following repeated tied votes.

Cr Stephen Batty has been elected Mornington Peninsula Shire Mayor after councillors broke a two-week deadlock following repeated tied votes.

Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors return tonight to try again to elect a mayor after the previous vote split 5-5, leaving Cr Paul Pingiaro as Acting Mayor.

Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors will meet tomorrow night to elect a new mayor following Anthony Marsh’s resignation, with the current 10-member chamber leaving open the possibility of a deadlocked vote.

Independent Tracee Hutchison has confirmed she will contest Nepean again at November’s Victorian state election, following Saturday’s by-election result. Anthony Marsh’s win also means Briars Ward residents will vote in a council by-election, with ratepayers expected to meet an estimated cost of about $200,000.

Mornington Peninsula Shire ratepayers are facing an expected $200,000 Briars Ward by-election bill after Anthony Marsh’s Nepean win leaves a council vacancy and ends his time as mayor.

The Liberal Party is projected to retain Nepean, but provisional results show a weakened primary vote, a strong One Nation result and a sizeable independent vote for Tracee Hutchison.