Just two Surf Coast Shire councillors, mayor Rose Hodge and Winchelsea ward councillor Heather Wellington, have held onto their places on council.
Surf Coast Shire voters elected seven new councillors in a big shakeup of the municipality, the Victorian Electoral Commission confirmed yesterday.
Independent Liz Pattison led the Torquay ward vote count followed by Greens candidate Kate Gazzard.
Cr Hodge polled third followed by Liberal Democrats member Paul Barker, while voters dumped Torquay ward councillors David Bell and Martin Duke.
Brian McKiterick did not stand for re-election.
In Winchelsea voters re-elected Cr Wellington, who won more than a third of first preferences, and voted in former Liberal member and current Labor member Adrian Schonfelder.
Mr Schonfelder replaces councillor James McIntyre.
Crs Hodge and Wellington have been at loggerheads over issues of transparency and development and have clashed verbally several times in council meetings.
Cr Wellington has won a number of legal battles for information against the shire’s administration in a bid for greater transparency.
In Anglesea ward, independents Libby Stapleton and Mike Bodsworth replaced councillors Margot Smith and Tony Revell.
In Lorne former school principal Gary Allen ran unopposed, taking over from former deputy mayor Clive Goldsworthy.
