Coorong District Council, South Australia, has held a community ballot asking if the mayor should be elected by the community or be chosen by Council.
In October 2021, ballot papers were posted to all Coorong electors asking them to vote on Council’s proposal to change to a community elected mayor.
Currently Coorong District Council is represented by nine councillors who are responsible for electing the Mayor from within the elected member body.
Mayor, Paul Simmons, said, “This is our community’s chance to decide how the Council’s principal member should be elected.”
The poll is the result of a representation review, which Coorong District Council commenced in early 2021.
South Australian councils are required under the Local Government Act 1999 to conduct an elector representation review every eight years, and examine whether a council would benefit from alteration to its composition, including methodology for election of the Mayor, the number of councillors and whether wards were appropriate.
Asking electors to consider the method of electing the Mayor through a community poll is the final step in this process. Should the community support the proposal to change to an elected Mayor, the new leadership format would come into effect at the November 2022 Local Government elections.
