Councillor Sonia Bennetto resigns as Deputy Mayor

At today’s General Meeting of Council Mayor Frank Beveridge announced  Councillor Sonia Bennetto has made the difficult decision to resign as Deputy Mayor, effective 7 December 2021.

Cr Bennetto was first elected to the position at the Post Election Meeting in 2016 and again in 2020.

“Whilst Cr Bennetto is stepping down from the role of Deputy Mayor, I am pleased to confirm she will continue in the position of Councillor for the remainder of the term,” he said.

“It is with great sadness that I announce that I am officially stepping down from the role of Deputy Mayor.

“Due to circumstances around my business commitments, and the need to have more time to support my family through a very challenging health battle, I feel that this is the right decision to make.

“It has been an absolute honour to serve as Deputy Mayor for the past six years, but the time has come for me to make some minor yet very important changes, to meet my business commitments and support my loved ones during this time.

“This decision has been extremely difficult to make, and this adjustment in no way reflects the passion and commitment that I continue to hold in my role as councillor of our incredible region.  

“The support and confidence in my leadership that I’ve been shown by our Mayor Frank, my fellow Councillors, our CEO Aaron, our Council staff, and the broader community, has been overwhelming.  

Thank you, to each and every one of you.

“I look forward to continuing my service as Councillor alongside you all, as we lead our community into a very exciting future,” Cr Bennetto said.

In accordance with the Local Government Act 2009 s165, Council is required to appoint a new Deputy Mayor if the local government declares the office of Deputy Mayor is vacant.

Council is pleased to announce Cr Graham Lohmann was elected to the position of Deputy Mayor.

“On behalf of Councillors and staff – I would like to thank Cr Bennetto for her dedication to the community during her time as Deputy Mayor,” Mayor Frank Beveridge said.

Councillor Portfolios will be reviewed in the coming weeks to realign Councillor responsibilities.  It will be business as usual for Charters Towers Regional Council, Mayor Frank Beveridge and Chief Executive Officer Aaron Johannsson said the leadership change will have no impact on the operations of the Council.