Toodyay’s new council, (front table, from left): Crs Steve McCormick, John Prater, Danielle Wrench, Charmeine Duri and Rosemary Madacsi. Rear bench: new Shire President Mick McKeown (centre) and new Shire Deputy President Shelly Dival (right).
By Michael Sinclair-Jones
TOODYAY has two new civic leaders with Cr Mick McKeown as Shire President and new Cr Shelly Dival as his Deputy.
Cr Dival topped last month’s shire poll with 663 first preference votes, or 42 per cent of the 1569 ballots cast.
Former shire president Rosemary Madacsi polled second with 290 primary votes (18.5 per cent), and former shire deputy president John Prater filled the third vacancy after a 10-year absence with 220 votes (14 per cent).
More than half of Toodyay’s 3639 registered voters didn’t vote, meaning nobody got more than 18 per cent of all votes in the electorate.
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Former deputy president Beth Ruthven lost her re-election bid with 72 votes (4.6 per cent of all primary votes cast), as did former Cr Susan Pearce with 150 votes (9.6 per cent).
Both were beaten by newcomer Ray Mills who polled 174 votes (11.1 per cent) but it was not enough to win him a council seat.
Toodyay’s new seven-member council met two days later to swear in the three newly elected councillors and conduct a secret ballot in the chamber to elect a presiding officer and deputy for the next two years.
Cr Dival, who campaigned on a platform of change, nominated Cr McKeown for shire president, and former president Madacsi announced her intent to re-contest the role.
There were no other candidates.
Cr McKeown won the secret ballot in what was understood to be a 4-3 vote.
Cr Prater then nominated fellow newcomer Cr Dival for deputy president, and sitting Cr Steve McCormick nominated Cr Madacsi.
Cr Madacsi declined the nomination, leaving Cr Dival to be elected unopposed as new Shire Deputy President.
Shire President McKeown closed the meeting after lots were drawn for new seating positions around the council table.
