Former mayor of the Yass Valley Allan McGrath is considering whether to run for the top job again. Photo: Sally Hopman.
Former mayor of Yass Valley Council, Allan McGrath, said on Tuesday (1 October) he was considering running again for the town’s top job.
Mr McGrath was speaking after the vote was declared for the 2024 NSW Local Government election.
If he were to stand, it would be his third term as mayor of the Southern Tablelands region which takes in the towns of Yass and Murrumbateman, along with the villages of Gundaroo, Wee Jasper, Sutton, Binalong, Bookham and Bowning with a total population exceeding 16,000.
“I’m considering my options at the moment,” Mr McGrath told Region on Tuesday.
“I am pretty happy to be back on council,” he said, “but I would like to see the lay of the land before I put my hand up.
“I am 82,” he added, “and they say there’s no cure for old age,” he joked.
Describing the last term of council as challenging, Mr McGrath said the main issues facing council were the pandemic, staff shortages, flooding, the ongoing town water issues and local controversy over the construction of a new council administration centre where the council agreed to borrow up to $50 million to fund the project.
Deputy mayor and Yass businesswoman Cayla Pothan was not returned while councillors Mike Reid, Kim Turner and Jim Abbey did not seek re-election.
New faces on the council this year include David Rothwell, Fleur Flanery, David Carter and Alvaro Cherry.
Independent Kristin Butler secured the highest percentage of votes with 11.7 per cent, followed by Greens councillor Adrian Cameron (10.6 per cent) David Rothwell (9.8 per cent), Fleur Flanery (9.6 per cent), Allan McGrath (9.1 per cent), Cecil Burgess (9 per cent), David Carter (8.4 per cent), Alvaro Cherry (7.85 per cent) and Jasmin Jones (7.83 per cent).
Announcing the make-up of the 2024 council on Tuesday, 1 October, the NSW Electoral Commission declared that Mr McGrath, Mr Cameron, Ms Jones and Mr Burgess had been returned. Ms Butler topped the poll.
The new councillors are David Rothwell, Fleur Flanery, David Carter and Alvaro Charry, who pipped Ms Pothan to the post by 26 votes.
A total of 10,511 votes were cast in the Yass Valley with 853 informal.
Mr McGrath has served as a councillor and the deputy mayor of Queanbeyan City Council and three previous terms with Yass Valley Council. He was elected mayor of Yass in January 2022.
An extraordinary meeting of the Yass Valley Council will be held at 4 pm on Thursday 10 October to elect the new mayor and deputy mayor.
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