By Alesha Capone
Cr Adele Hegedich will serve as mayor of Wyndham for the next 12 months.
The Harrison ward councillor is in her third term on council and previously held the role of mayor in 2015-16.
Cr Peter Maynard was elected as deputy mayor.
The two councillors were elected to their new roles unanimously at a meeting of the newly-elected councillors on Monday. Cr Josh Gilligan and Cr Heather Marcus were absent from the meeting.
Cr Hegedich said: “I take on this role humbly, with great honour and respect.”
She said that the COVID-19 pandemic means “life as we know it has changed” and the council had a chance to review the needs of Wyndham residents.
“I know the next four years will be challenging, not just for council but for residents,” she said.
However, she also said that 2020 was about more than just the pandemic.
Cr Hegedich said she was happy that October’s statewide municipal elections had resulted in a record 272 women elected as councillors across Victoria, including seven in Wyndham.
She promised to work openly with residents, council staff and her fellow councillors.
She said all the new councillors would work “to make a difference in Wyndham”.
Cr Susan McIntyre said she was looking forward to working closely with Cr Hegedich, and that it was also great to see a mayor from Harrison ward elected.
Cr Marcel Mahfoud also congratulated Cr Hegedich on becoming mayor.
He said Cr Hegedich’s experience and enthusiasm would “set the tone” for the council’s four-year term.
Cr Maynard is also serving his third term on the council, having first been elected in 2012.
He has served as Wyndham’s mayor twice in the past.
Cr Maynard said he was looking forward to working with all the new councillors in the coming year to support the residents of Wyndham.
The next Wyndham council meeting will be held at 7pm on Tuesday, December 8.
