At least two Whittlesea councillors will be vying to lead the council at tomorrow night’s mayoral election.
Councillors will meet at 6pm on Tuesday 18 November to elect a mayor and deputy mayor, ahead of the November council meeting at 7.30pm.
Outgoing mayor Martin Taylor and Cr Lawrie Cox have confirmed their intentions to contest the election.
Star Weekly understands at least two other councillors are considering running for mayor.
In a statement posted to Facebook on 15 November, Cr Taylor said serving as mayor had been one of the greatest honours of his professional life.
“Over the past year, our city has navigated significant transition, renewal, and growth,” he said.
“When council elected me unopposed, our city stood at a critical point. We were emerging from administration oversight, responding to the Commission of Inquiry, and working to rebuild trust and strengthen governance. I have led through this period with a steady, principled approach, drawing on decades of public service experience across Victoria Police, the Australian Army, the legal profession, small business and emergency response fields.
“Recently, I was humbled by the emergence of a community-led petition calling for my continued service as mayor.
“It reaffirmed for me that our community values the direction I was taking, the stability we have provided, and the positive momentum we have collectively created.”
Cr Cox, who was Whittlesea mayor in 2018-19 and president of Shire of Whittlesea in 1982, said he would bring experience to the role.
He said the council had a big year ahead of it.
“We have got a long way to go and a lot of issues to deal with,” he said.
He said he expected there to be “plenty of hands in the air” for the job, as well as the role of deputy mayor, and believed the council had learnt from the mistakes it made around last year’s mayoral election.
As reported by Star Weekly, the Commission of Inquiry into the council found that found the councillors were divided along political lines when voting for the mayor in November 2024, and many did not exercise due diligence before deciding to support Cr Aidan McLindon as mayor.
Cr McLindon was suspended from council by Local Government Minister Nick Staikos in April, prompting the Commission of Inquiry. He returned to council last month.
Cr McLindon told Star Weekly he intended to support Cr Cox’s bid to be mayor.
“Whilst Cr Cox and I do not agree on all issues, I do believe a dynamic that can foster robust and fruitful debate to ensure that council can reach the best outcomes is where we need to be,” he said.
“There are a number of very important issues coming up over the next 12 months which will impact how the City of Whittlesea will be shaped and the role of mayor will be critical in making sure we get the best deal possible for ratepayers during this period. It will require someone who thoroughly understands the operations of the administration and the importance of genuine local representation from the councillors.
“Cr Cox brings decades of relevant experience to the role and is no walk over which is why I am comfortable in nominating and supporting him for the position of mayor for the next 12 months.”
