Farewell, Kristie. What happens next for Council?

Following a successful campaign, Mayor of Glenorchy, Kristie Johnston has been confirmed as the new Independent Member for Clark in the recent State election.

Effective Friday 14 May 2021, Kristie has resigned her position as both Mayor of Glenorchy and as Glenorchy City Council alderman.

What happens next?

Firstly, Deputy Mayor Bec Thomas will take on the role of Acting Mayor of Glenorchy, effective immediately. Bec performed this role during the election campaign and will take on the day to day mayoral duties, until a new Mayor is elected.

Following the outgoing Mayor’s resignation, General Manager, Tony McMullen has written to the Tasmanian Electoral Commissioner who will start preparations for the by-elections to select a new Mayor and a new Alderman for Council.

This means the community will be asked to vote for candidates who stand for election for the vacant Alderman and Mayor positions.

Who can nominate for the position of Mayor and Alderman?

Anyone who is eligible under the Local Government Act to nominate as a councillor could nominate as Mayor. This could be one of Council’s current Aldermen, or someone from completely outside the current elected members. The vacant Alderman position would need to be filled by a new eligible candidate.

How long does the by-election process take?

We have been advised that the by-election would likely take six to seven weeks to complete, starting with a call for nominations, continuing to a postal vote and finishing with a formal announcement of the results.

How long would the new Mayor and Alderman be in office for?

Once the new Mayor and Alderman positions are filled they will be in office until the next round of local government elections in Tasmania, scheduled to be held in October 2022.

Do I need to do anything?

Not right now, we will wait for further instructions from the Tasmanian Electoral Commission regarding their process to begin the by elections. If you want to find out more about general voting advice or to check your details are up to date, we encourage you to visit https://www.tec.tas.gov.au/

We will share more information soon.