A special council meeting was held on Wednesday this week to appoint a deputy mayor of the Whitsundays, with previous deputy, Mike Brunker, stepping down.
Councillor Brunker is one of six candidates campaigning for the role of mayor, and as such saw it fit to step down so there was no conflict of interest, perceived or real.
Councillor Brunker was filling the role of acting mayor with the office left vacant after now Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox was elected to the federal seat in April.
With there still no current council mayor, the role of deputy takes on status as acting mayor until the election appoints the position after the August 13 vote.
Councillor John Collins was elected to the role in a 6-0 landslide.
Now acting mayor John Collins was first elected as Councillor for Division 3 on Whitsunday Regional Council in 2012 and was returned for his third term at the 2020 Local Government Elections.
He has been a member of the Proserpine community since the age of four, when his family relocated to the region, with his father transferred as the local police sergeant. John completed his schooling at the local St. Catherine’s Catholic Primary School and Proserpine State High School, and currently lives in Proserpine with his wife Jill and four daughters.
“I would like to acknowledge the work of Councillor Brunker, who rang me after the federal election and said he was happy to step down there and then,” Acting Mayor Collins said.
“I’d like to thank him for what he’s done both in the budget and in the past months. Until the election I’m going to be calling upon my fellow councillors to delegate work to them.
“I’d like to thank everyone for their confidence.”
Councillor John Collins has been voted in as deputy mayor of the Whitsundays this week, giving him the role of acting mayor until a new mayor is sworn in
