re-stand for election at tomorrow’s Ordinary Council Meeting
Cobar Shire Councillors will decide tomorrow
on who lead them as Mayor and
Deputy Mayor for the next few months.
Council’s current Mayor, Peter Abbott and
Deputy Mayor, Jarrod Marsden have only held
their positions since March this year when they
were elected at an extraordinary meeting following
the death of Mayor Lilliane Brady,
OAM, who was still serving at the time of her
passing.
Local Government elections were to have
been held last September but were postponed
to September 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
and, as the pandemic has continued,
they were again postponed to December 2021.
When the pair were elected as Mayor and
Deputy Mayor, they were however only elected
to fill the roles until September 2021 and so
Councillors will vote again at tomorrow’s Ordinary
Council Meeting.
The newly elected officials will however
only hold the roles until December when voters
go back to the polls to elect their new council.
Both Mayor Abbott and Deputy Mayor
Marsden have indicated an interest in continuing
in their roles.
Cr Abbott said he is happy to continue to
lead Council until December.
He said beyond that he is however not sure.
“I haven’t decided as yet if I will stand at the
next elections,” Cr Abbott told The Cobar
Weekly on Monday.
Cr Marsden said he sees the next three
months as a crucial time for Council.
“The last month before the election is caretaker
mode and the term is very short but this is
an important time for council and we can’t let
the fog of COVID stop us from working towards
a better Cobar,” Cr Marsden said.
“We have projects such as the museum coming
to fruition and new projects like Ward Oval
and the industrial area kicking off.
“The people of Cobar have been wonderful
in adherence with protocols and keeping the
shire COVID free.
“It’s a mental drain on everyone, as well as
the impact to businesses, but we must stay
vigilant,” he said.
