New Mayor elected

Councillor Michael Heffernan is the new Mayor of the City of Bayside.

Cr Heffernan was elected by his fellow Councillors at the Annual Meeting of Council held last night. Bayside Mayors are elected for a 12 month term.

At the same meeting, Cr Rob Grinter was re-elected Deputy Mayor and Chair of the Planning and Amenity Committee.

Cr Heffernan is a well-respected sharebroker, economist and frequently quoted media commentator on financial markets and economic events.

He first served as a councillor with Bayside City Council from 2000 to 2003, before being re-elected in October 2012.

Cr Heffernan said he was honoured to serve as Mayor and looked forward to continuing to work with the community to make Bayside a better place.

“This Council is making a record investment in community infrastructure across the municipality to enhance the lives of our residents and position Bayside for the future, while also maintaining our strong financial position. As Mayor, I will be working to ensure we do this while continuing to consult effectively with the community.”

Cr Heffernan has extensive financial experience and currently works with Phillip Capital Sharebrokers. He has also worked as an economist with the Commonwealth government and as Chief Economist/Lawyer with the Australian Stock Exchange.

In 2013 and 2016 Cr Heffernan was awarded Stock Picker of the Year of the Year by the Australian Stockbrokers Foundation. He has also been heavily involved with finance education in his role as a part time lecturer for Kaplan’s Graduate Diploma course (formerly Securities Institute of Australia, and FINSIA).

Cr Heffernan has volunteered for more than 35 years as a volunteer solicitor with Bayside Legal Aid and until recently was a honorary Director at Sandy Beach Community Centre and a member of the Monash Heart Strategic Advisory Board. Cr Heffernan speaks on the share market and economy to various community groups on a no fee basis.

A Bayside resident for almost 30 years, Cr Heffernan is married to Inge and has two adult children.

Cr Heffernan acknowledged the contribution of outgoing Mayor, Cr Laurence Evans in leading Council over the past year, in particular for his strong advocacy on behalf of Bayside with other levels of government.