Independent Councillor Meredith Dennis OAM has been appointed as Deputy Mayor of Tweed Shire until December 2023, following a Deputy Mayoral election at an Extraordinary Meeting of Council yesterday.
Labor councillor Reece Byrnes had been Deputy Mayor for the precious two years being the end of the last term of council and the beginning of this term of council. The role of Deputy Mayor is for one year at Tweed Shire Council and the Mayor is a two-year appointment; both roles are elected by the seven councillors.
Councillor Byrnes congratulated Cr Dennis on her appointment as Deputy Mayor and reminded other councillors, staff and the public what a challenging few years everyone had been through.
‘The COVID-19 pandemic decimated the Shire, and I did my best to stand up for the community in calling for a border bubble and pointing out the COVID loopholes.
‘I also stood up for the parents and students of our four public schools in Murwillumbah who oppose the State Government’s proposed merger of the schools,’ said Cr Byrnes.
Other highlights outlined by Cr Byrne included his role in helping to secure drone technology for surf life-saving clubs on the Tweed Coast and lobbying to get the Tweed to become the first Council in NSW to sign up to the Green Hats for Aaron initiative, which promotes safety for apprentices in the workplace.
Mayor Chris Cherry, who will serve as Mayor until the mid-term mayoral election in September 2023, thanked Cr Byrnes for his contribution and looked forward to working with Cr Dennis over the next year.
Councillor Dennis paid tribute to her predecessor, Cr Reece Byrnes, who served in the role for the past two years.
‘I know I have very big shoes to fill and am very grateful for the opportunity to serve as Deputy Mayor,’ Cr Dennis said.
‘I will try my best to represent Council and the community over the next year as we continue in our efforts to recover from the recent flood and the COVID-19 pandemic and their associated challenges.’
The current elected Councillors will serve a reduced term of 2 years and 8 months as a result of the 2020 election being rescheduled, with the next election due in September 2024.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
