By Luke Voogt
Stephanie Asher will continue as Geelong mayor after the new council re-elected her to the position unopposed in a special meeting tonight.
Cr Asher will serve another two-year term as mayor after holding the position from October 2019 until last month’s election.
Voters first elected the Ocean Grove resident to represent the Bellarine ward in 2017 and she won the popular vote for the ward this year.
“I feel incredibly privileged and honoured to be given the chance to lead this beautiful region once again,” Cr Asher said.
“My priorities will be: fast-tracking key projects and processes to get the economy and community morale up and running; getting the sustainability plan into rapid action with input from the community and interest groups; reviewing the budget to focus on critical projects; and setting up a shadow deputy roster once again, to build capacity in the council team.”
Council elected another Bellarine ward councillor ,Trent Sullivan, unopposed as deputy mayor.
The Portarlington resident is also serving his second term on council.
“I’m humbled and honoured to be elected by my fellow councillors for the next two years,” he said.
“Now our four-year term begins and we launch straight back into the fray of fighting for our community.
“We need to put the hard yards into rebuilding our local economy and our community by supporting our businesses and community groups, and building the necessary infrastructure to make sure our region will not only survive, but thrive.”
Cr Asher congratulated Cr Sullivan on his appointment.
“I really look forward to working together and bringing energy and a commitment to getting things done as a team,” she said.
The City of Greater Geelong thanked outgoing deputy mayor Kylie Grzybek for her service in the role between October 2019 and October 2020.
