Colac Otway Shire Council re-elects Mayor and Deputy Mayor

Published on 10 November 2021

Colac Otway Shire Council’s Mayor and Deputy Mayor remain unchanged for the next 12-months following the unanimous re-election of Cr Kate Hanson as Mayor and Cr Graham Costin as her deputy.

Mayor Hanson, a local accountant, sheep producer and mother of two, said she felt privileged to serve her community once more as its leader. It marks her sixth year on Council and the upcoming term will also include the State and Federal elections.

“It was an honour to be mayor last year and I’m very pleased that my fellow councillors have asked me back,” said Mayor Hanson. “It’s a great community we live in and being mayor is a role that I take very seriously.”

She said she has missed her favourite part of the role during lockdowns, which is connecting with people in the community, hearing about the good work of volunteers and meeting new citizens.

“I look forward to continuing to work constructively with councillors and to welcome the public back to in-person Council meetings, as well as engaging more at events as they come back to the shire.”

“We’ll be working through the Priority Projects of Council, with meetings already held with some politicians to put forward projects for our community. COVID recovery, housing and finding staff for local businesses remain issues that are high on our agenda,” said Mayor Kate Hanson. 

Deputy Mayor Cr Graham Costin, a retired Skenes Creek resident and father of three, led the nomination of Cr Hanson as Mayor, saying: “Cr Hanson did an exceptional job in difficult circumstances this last year.”

He added that he was extremely honoured to serve the Colac Otway Shire community again as her deputy.

“I think our re-election shows how stable this Council is, which bodes well for the future,” said Cr Costin, who has a career background in local government engineering and environmental science and has been a ratepayer in the electorate for more than 40 years.

Cr Costin said a key issue in the upcoming term was housing availability for key workers, along with child care, so parents can have the opportunity to be a part of the workforce. 

There were no other nominations at Colac Otway Shire Council’s in-person Special Meeting livestreamed on YouTube from Council Chambers.