Tweed Shire has a new mayor, with councillor Reece Byrnes elected to the top job following a vote at Thursday’s council meeting.
Cr Byrnes succeeds Chris Cherry, who had held the mayoralty for six years and announced earlier this month that she would not seek another term in the role.
Councillors elected Cr Byrnes mayor on September 17, with Cr Meredith Dennis elected Deputy Mayor. Tweed Shire Council’s website has since been updated to reflect the new leadership team.
Cr Byrnes was first elected to Tweed Shire Council in 2016, when he became the youngest councillor in the council’s history.
He has since served several terms as Deputy Mayor, most recently from September 2025 until his election as mayor.
The change follows Cr Cherry’s decision to step aside from the mayoralty while remaining on council for the rest of the current term.
Cr Cherry said before the vote that Cr Byrnes had indicated earlier this year that he wanted the opportunity to become mayor.
She said he had ‘demonstrated his ability to work with both sides of the chamber’ and described the current period as a suitable time to hand over the role after years marked by COVID, border closures, floods and other emergencies.
Cr Byrnes is a Labor councillor and has previously identified housing affordability, cost-of-living pressures, environmental protection and economic strength among the issues facing the Tweed.
The new mayoral team will serve during the remainder of the current council term.
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