Ararat Rural City has a new Mayor and Deputy Mayor following a Statutory Council meeting at Shire Hall on November 14.
Councillors appointed Cr Bob Sanders as Mayor and alongside, Cr Jo Armstrong as Deputy Mayor for a one-year term, ensuring Council continues their direction to meet community needs.
Cr Bob Sanders, the new Mayor, expressed his gratitude for the support of his first term. ‘It was with great pleasure that on Tuesday night I accepted the nomination of Mayor from Cr Jo Armstrong and Cr Henry Burridge. To have the trust of this position placed upon me by my fellow councillors is an honour and privilege,’ Cr Sanders said.
‘I would like to pay homage to our previous Mayor, Cr Jo Armstrong for her outstanding service through leadership, thank you for the past four years. ‘As a council, we have achieved a lot – six years without a rate rise and we maintained community assets during financially difficult times.
‘We’re getting things done more efficiently than ever before, and delivering more social, economic, and environmental outcomes to the community that will ensure our municipality continues to thrive.
‘In our fourth and final year, we will remain focused and committed to the delivery of the goals we have set out together in the Council plan.
‘We have a big year ahead of us and I look forward to working closely with CEO Dr Tim Harrison, Deputy Mayor Jo Armstrong and fellow councillors to continue delivering results for our municipality and its ratepayers, residents, and business owners alike. ‘
Outgoing Ararat Rural City Mayor Jo Armstrong congratulated Cr Bob Sanders on his appointment.
‘I wanted to thank the community and my fellow councillors for their support over the past four years,’ Cr Armstrong said.
‘I know that success comes from a united approach to leadership and working collaboratively with the community. Bob has demonstrated these capabilities through years of service, and I look forward to supporting him in his term as Mayor.’