Open vote elects McCabe as mayor

An open council vote saw west ward councillor Annemarie McCabe narrowly elected mayor of Baw Baw Shire at a statutory meeting last week.
Cr McCabe defeated former two time mayor Cr Joe Gauci in a five to four vote that was for the first time conducted in an open council meeting.

The deputy mayor position also was put to a vote with outgoing mayor Cr Michael Leaney elected in a five to four vote over Cr Peter Kostos.
In past years, councillors often pre-determine the elected mayor at a council briefing session closed to the public. In years when more than one person has been nominated for mayor, the election was conducted by way of a secret vote.
However, last week's statutory meeting saw Crs Tricia Jones and Jazmin Tauru nominate Cr McCabe, followed by a nomination from Crs Danny Goss and Peter Kostos for Cr Gauci.
Both nominated councillors had three minutes each to present their "election pitch" to councillors.
Fellow councillors also had the opportunity to speak, an option that was taken up by six of the seven remaining councillors, with only Cr Keith Cook abstaining from speaking in support of either candidate.
Voting for Cr McCabe's mayoral nomination were Crs McCabe, Jones, Tauru, Leaney and Cook. Those against were Crs Gauci, Goss, Kostos and Darren Wallace.
It was the same split of votes for the deputy mayor position that resulted in Cr Leaney elected.
Cr McCabe admitted she did not have a lot of experience but in her time on council she had absorbed a wealth of information.
As the outgoing deputy mayor, she said she had chaired council meetings and led West Gippsland Libraries (MyLi) through a transition.
Cr McCabe said she had the skills to communicate effectively, was adaptable, considered things in depth and was consistent.
She said her passion, commitment and values would make her a great mayor.
Supporting Cr McCabe, Cr Tauru described her as a woman who always voted for the best of her community. "She is a true community individual with empathy and a heart gold."
Cr Gauci told councillors he was "wholly and solely the best person for the job."
He said as a growth municipality, he had experience representing Baw Baw on peri-urban committees and it was important council was on track and represented in the "right places at the right time to get the best outcomes for our community.
"Do you want a mayor who is responsive and one that supports council decisions...one that doesn't shy away to put their head up.
"This is a job for the right person at the right time doing the right work and that's the role I can play," he said.
Cr Goss supported Cr Gauci's bid for mayor. "This is a time for a safe pair of hands. We are at the crossroads and we can't meander along."
He said Cr Gauci had 10 years experience and council needed strong direction, someone who could advocate, communicate, speak up for council and someone who understood council.
In his retiring speech, Cr Leaney said during his time as mayor the community had emerged from COVID, Russia invaded Ukraine, there was federal election and we were currently in the throes of a state election.
He said council was now dealing with the challenges of increased costs, challenges in staffing and delays with contractors.
Cr Leaney said advocacy had been a priority throughout his term, in which council secured $15 million external funding for a number of projects including $4.5 million for the proposed cultural connection centre in Warragul, $3 million for the Rokeby to Noojee trail, $1.9 for Baxter Park and $1.5 million for the Rollo St community space in Yarragon.
Cr Leaney also acknowledged the bi-partisan election commitment for a new West Gippsland Hospital. "There is still a lot of work to make sure it's delivered but we are across the first base and both parties are committed. It is a very positive story for our community."
Cr Leaney said when he was elected he declared he would turn up wherever he was asked and in his term he had travelled more than 50,000 kilometres criss-crossing across the shire.8
"It's not the distance that's important, it's the people who I met on the way," he said.