Ashburton’s new mayor, Liz McMillan, will be officially sworn into office at the end of the month, alongside newly elected district councillors and the Methven Community Board.
Preliminary results showed McMillan secured 5898 votes, giving her a commanding lead of nearly 4000 votes over her nearest rivals. Final results from the local elections are expected by the end of the week.
The mayor-elect said she was humbled by the strong backing she received from residents.
“I want to thank them for their faith in me, and I’m really excited to lead this district for the next three years,” McMillan said. “I’ve learned a lot during my time on council, and it was a privilege having Neil Brown as a mentor.
“My job now is to bring this new council together and make the most of the skills and passion they bring to the table, as we’re all in this together. We’ve got the new three waters unit to embed, roads and essential council services to maintain, and a second bridge to bring home.”
Elected to represent the Ashburton Ward are Phill Hooper, Carolyn Cameron, Tony Todd, Russell Ellis and Julie Moffett. The Western Ward will be represented by Jeanette Maxwell and Deb Gilkison, while Richard Wilson and Phill Everest were elected for the Eastern Ward.
Members elected to the Methven Community Board are Faye Barrand, Megan Fitzgerald, Robin Jenkinson, Richie Owen and Simon Wareing.
Ashburton District Council Chief Executive Hamish Riach said around 200 special votes were still to be verified and added to the final tally.
“We know there was quite a last-minute rush to vote, with just over 700 envelopes placed in ballot bins within the final 24 hours before voting closed at noon on Saturday,” Riach said. “The voter return currently sits at 45.78 percent, which is lower than the previous local elections.”
The new mayor will meet with councillors and senior council staff this week, ahead of an induction workshop designed to familiarise members with council operations and governance.
Next week, McMillan will attend a mayors’ hui in Wellington, while new councillors will participate in a Local Government induction in Christchurch.
The inaugural council meeting is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday 29 October at 1.30pm.
