Chief financial officer Bulent Oz to act as Mornington Peninsula chief executive

A financial whiz will step in as top dog at one of Victoria’s biggest councils following a secret vote.

The Mornington Peninsula will be lead by its bean counter until a permanent chief executive officer is found. Picture: supplied

Mornington Peninsula’s money man will lead the newly minted council until a permanent top dog is appointed.

Councillors on Wednesday night chose the shire’s chief financial officer Bulent Oz to act as the organisation’s chief executive.

The decision was made behind closed doors at a special meeting conducted online.

Councillors spent about 30 mins debating who would lead one of Victoria’s largest councils before voting for Mr Oz.

The council’s chief financial officer Bulent Oz will act as the chief executive until a permanent replacement is found. Picture: supplied.

The shire’s former chief executive John Baker is now leading Sunshine Coast Council.

He will act in the role while the council recruits a permanent replacement for outgoing chief executive John Baker.

Mr Baker finished up on Tuesday to take a new position as chief executive of Sunshine Coast Council in Queensland.

Mayor Anthony Marsh thanked Mr Baker for his six years of service to the Mornington Peninsula community and congratulated Mr Oz on his appointment.

“Bulent has been with the shire for 10 years and is a highly reasonable and capable leader … known for his strong fiscal stewardship and deep understanding of the Mornington Peninsula challenges.

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Mr Marsh said Mr Oz’s leadership would be invaluable as the council navigated the “current environment for the sector”.

“I look forward to working as a cohesive and high-performing executive and councillor team,” he said.

Mr Oz said he was honoured to be stepping into the role and looked forward to leading the organisation and working to “serve our community and achieve positive outcomes together”.