Wollondilly’s newly formed Council was sworn in during Tuesday night’s Extraordinary Meeting, with a celebratory atmosphere prevailing during the acceptance speeches and Councillors expressing their commitment to work together for the benefit of the Shire.

During the meeting, Cr Matthew Deeth was elected as Wollondilly’s Deputy Mayor for the next four years, and will support popularly elected Mayor Matt Gould in leading the Council through what will be a period of substantial change.

Cr Deeth has been a Wollondilly Councillor since 2016, served as Mayor from December 2018 to September 2020, and served as Deputy Mayor in the last term of Council.

Cr Deeth said, “I am honoured to be re-elected as Deputy Mayor for Wollondilly and I’d like to thank my fellow Councillors for showing their confidence in me to perform the role.”

“I look forward to working alongside Mayor Matt Gould over the term and thrilled to have such an able team of Councillors around the table to address the challenges ahead.”

“We have an opportunity to work collaboratively as a Council to create a great place to live for generations to come, looking after the parts of the Shire we love and the neighbourhoods we all value, while advocating for the infrastructure, services and jobs we need to support our new communities.”

Mayor Matt Gould congratulated Cr Deeth on his appointment and said he looked forward to working together with him and the new Council to lead the Shire into the future.

“Cr Deeth has a strong commitment to the wellbeing of this community, and I look forward to having him as Deputy for this new term of Council.”

“We have a fantastic group of Councillors, with a great mix of enthusiastic new faces and experience, and we have a shared desire to get the best outcomes for the Wollondilly community.”

At Tuesday night’s meeting the Councillors acknowledged their Oath of Office or Affirmation of Office obligations under the Local Government Act, with each Councillor addressing the 40 people who attended the meeting in the public gallery as well as those watching the live stream online.

Joining the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, the new Councillors are Suzy Brandstater, Paul Rogers, Benn Banasik, Hilton Gibbs, Jacqueline Jenson, Ally Dench and Trish Hill.

The first Ordinary meeting of Council is scheduled for 29 October. Details about the new Councillors and the footage of the Extraordinary Meeting will be on Council’s website soon.