The Central Coast will have a new Mayor leading into the 2020 General Council elections after Councillor Lisa Matthews was elected by her fellow Councillors at a meeting at Wyong this evening.

Councillor Matthews has become the second ever Mayor of the Central Coast, taking over from Councillor Jane Smith.

Central Coast Council’s Deputy Mayor also changed, with Councillor Jane Smith taking over from Councillor Chris Holstein.

Mayor Matthews acknowledged the good work Council had done since amalgamation to move forward as ‘One Central Coast’. 

“We have a robust Operational Plan in place for the next 12 months and my goal is to keep working towards delivering that,” Mayor Matthews said. 

“Priority areas residents have told us should be our focus include improving our water and sewer networks, roads, the environment, community facilities and open space and recreation, and these areas will feature heavily in our plans as we strive to create a sustainable and connected Central Coast community that we can all be proud of.”

Mayor Matthews will preside over her first ordinary meeting of Council on Wednesday 25 September at the Wyong Chambers.

Deputy Mayor Smith said it had been a privilege to serve the people of the Central Coast as Mayor over the last two years and she looked forward to continuing to serve the community as Deputy Mayor and as a Councillor for Gosford East Word. 

“I would like to thank and acknowledge the work of Council staff who give their best efforts to deliver on our shared vision of a better region for all,” Deputy Mayor Smith said.

“Over the last two years we have adopted the first Community Strategic Plan for the Central Coast and are well on the way to delivering a 10-year vision to create a smart, green, liveable region with a shared sense of belonging and responsibility.”