THE new Port Stephens Council was tonight officially sworn into their new roles in a special ceremony not seen before in Port Stephens Council history.

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Councillors were formally sworn in, with their choice of oath or acknowledgement, in front of a packed crowd at the Port Stephens Council Chambers.

Mayor Ryan Palmer took his oath first, and was sworn in as our new popularly elected Mayor.

He now also holds the title of being the youngest Mayor to be elected in Port Stephens.

He thanked the Port Stephens residents in the audience, telling them “I want to thank you for your support, and trusting that I, in turn, will support you all, and our community, and give Port Stephens all that it deserves.”

Each individual Councillor was then given their chance to address the crowd, thank their supporters, and discuss their vision for the new council term.

Central Ward Councillor Sarah Smith said “This has been such a great experience getting to know so many wonderful people in our community, and I am so thankful to have been elected with experienced Councillors and newly elected Councillors.”

“I am looking forward to achieving great things together this council term.”

West Ward Councillor Giacomo Arnott reminded the audience of his intentions to be a part of an accountable, transparent council, working towards improving the relationship with ratepayers.

Ken Jordan, re-elected West Ward Councillor, worded the experience of being a Councillor perfectly for those in attendance at this special ceremony.

“To the re-elected councillors, and to the new councillors, I need to tell you this.”

“What you have in this building is priceless.”

“The best staff of any council in NSW, the best area to serve within and we are the elected representatives to get things done.”

“We are so fortunate to have this opportunity, it’s a blessing,” he said.

The first item on the agenda after the swearing in ceremony was the election of our Port Stephens Deputy Mayor.

Central Ward Councillor and Medowie resident Chris Doohan was successful in taking on the position for another year, having served the last term of council as Deputy Mayor for two years.

Deputy Mayor, Chris Doohan, told News Of The Area “I am honoured to have been unanimously re-elected, as it shows recognition and support from the re-elected former councillors of a job well done during the last two terms of being Deputy Mayor, and the trust of the newly elected Councillors that I will continue to serve them well.”

“I look forward to supporting the Mayor and Councillors, and being a mentor to the newly elected Councillors.”

“I am confident we have a great balance in Council now of experience, new ideas and evenly distributed locality representation across Port Stephens,” he said.  

All Port Stephens residents are welcome to attend councils meetings, which are open to the public.

See the Council website for a full list of meeting dates and information on www.portstephens.nsw.gov.au

By Rachael VAUGHAN

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