COUNCIL APPOINTS NEW INTERIM LEADER
MEDIA RELEASE - 30 NOVEMBER 2022
Photo: Chief Executive Officer Nat Traeger, congratulating Deputy Mayor Jeff Pope (Acting in the role of Mayor)
In the wake of no mayoral candidate being nominated in the recent local government elections, the Kingston District Council has remained without a figurehead.
That all changed yesterday, with the Council appointing a new deputy mayor at their first council meeting since the 2022 council elections.
Long standing council member and previous Deputy Mayor Chris England nominated Cr Jeff Pope for an interim period, concluding after the formal declaration of the Mayoral supplementary election result. Other members supported the nomination and Cr Pope was elected unopposed in a unanimous vote.
In taking the position of Deputy Mayor, Cr Pope immediately assumed responsibility as Acting in the role of Mayor, given that the Council currently has no Mayor.
Cr Pope said, “I’m a passionate resident in this Kingston region, and to be nominated and elected by my colleagues is a real privilege”.
In addressing the Council immediately following his election, Cr Pope said “thank you for trusting me with this responsibility, we are a fantastic team, and I am confident we can work together to bring about great results for our community”.
Cr Pope is in his third term as a council member with the Kingston District Council, giving him a solid 8 years’ experience, which will stand him in good stead to steer the ship until such time as a mayor is realised. Additionally, Cr Pope has previously been a council member for the former Mannum (now Mid-Murray) Council in the 1990’s, where at the time of amalgamation in 1997, he was the Deputy Mayor.
Chief Executive Officer Nat Traeger was pleased with the outcome, commenting “Cr Pope and myself enjoy an excellent relationship, which includes mutual respect and a solid understanding of the key issues which will need immediate resolution and leadership”.
“The working relationship between the Mayor (in this case the Deputy Mayor acting in the role of Mayor), as the leader of the Council, and the Chief Executive Officer as the leader of the Administration is one of the most important relationships in local government” she said.
Council is not the only local government area awaiting advice and confirmation from the Electoral Commission of South Australia (ECSA) about supplementary elections. Whilst the Council acknowledged the inefficiencies and uncertainties around not having a Mayor elected at the recent local government elections, it is more fortunate than some regional councils who had as little as two nominations with one of those having to fill the roll of Mayor.
It is understood the Local Government Association (LGA) met with ECSA late last week where it was indicated that they (LGA) are awaiting confirmation about roll closure dates over the Christmas period. The Chief Executive Officer, on behalf of Council has and will continue to advocate for a timeline that will give the community some certainty about when the process can be expected to conclude.
Other interesting facts about the upcoming Mayoral supplementary election include;
- If a member of council stands for election to an office in the council other than the one presently held by the member, the latter office becomes vacant at the conclusion of the election.
- If any Council Members recently elected nominates in the supplementary election for the office of Mayor and is unsuccessful, they will lose office.
- This will result in a casual vacancy occurring in the office of an area councillor. This vacancy can be filled without the need to conduct another supplementary election – a recount of the ballots will occur to determine the person to be elected to that position.
- Equally, this will also be the case if a Council Member wins the Mayoral supplementary election.
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Contact:
Natalie Traeger
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | KINGSTON DISTRICT COUNCIL
Phone: 0408 809 712 | E: ceo@kingstondc.sa.gov.au