Five new faces on Coffs Harbour City Council
The leadership team for Coffs Harbour will be very different as five new faces take the council reigns.
Coffs Harbour
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The new Coffs Harbour City Council election has been finalised - and there will be a swag of new faces onboard.
Paul Amos will be mayor - while five of the eight councillors will be new.
They are: Scott Wolgamot, Rodger Pryce, Tony Judge (Labor), Julie Sechi and Jonathan Cassell (The Greens).
Returning to chambers will be George Cecato, Tegan Swan and Sally Townley.
New councillor Scott Wolgamot said he was excited to “hopefully make a difference” for the betterment of Coffs Harbour residents.
Mr Wolgamot said he expected there would be a “range of opinions” on the new council, but noted he was broadly “aligned” with his running mates at the election in Mr Amos and Ms Sechi.
Due to the Covid-extended term of the last council, the new local leadership team will be in place for three years.
The election count was finalised by the NSW Electoral Commission on Wednesday morning.
Mr Amos was first elected as a councillor in 2016 and has seen the region face major challenges in recent years including bushfire, flood, and pandemic.
He was elected by his fellow councillors as deputy mayor in September 2021.
“The new team is a mix of experienced councillors and new faces who will bring a fresh approach and perspective to council,” general manager Steve McGrath said.
“I look forward to working with them all as we continue to serve our community by delivering important projects and services into the future.”
Longtime former Federal MP for Cowper, Luke Hartsuyker, was among the candidates who fell short of the line.
State Coffs Harbour MP Gurmesh Singh said he too was looking forward to working with the new team.
“Undoubtedly, the best interests of local residents will be served by all levels of government being able to work together to achieve the best possible outcomes for our community,” Mr Singh said.
“My door is open to each and every one of our councillors and I applaud them for putting up their hands.
“I know we will have our differences, but we will be united by what we have in common.”
The first meeting of the new council will be on Thursday, February 10.
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