No honeymoon for new mayor Ray Smith

Johnstone and third-term councillor Debrah Novak for the top job. The three candidates were given fve minutes to make their pitches.

Cr Smith drew frst spot and laid out his credentials as a 30-year local government veteran, leading three councils as a general manager.

He said he had gained experience lobbying for local government issues at State and Federal level and has also been in executive positions on bodies such as the NSW Country Mayors Association and Local Government Professionals.

He outlined his vision for the Clarence Valley as a community of opportunity and his role as mayor to harness the enthusiasm of new councillors and the knowledge of re-elected one into a team that would fulfl that vision.

Cr Novak spoke next and called on the council to support the voters who installed fve female councillors this term.

“This is a signifcant milestone, as our 185 years of local government history tells us, women are rarely elected to this offce,” she said.

“In actual fact, only about 20 women have been elected, and over these only two have been ever elected mayor in 185 years. I’ll let that sink in.”

She urged councillors to “strike while they iron was hot” and elect her as mayor.

She invoked two iconic feminist fgures: Hypatia of Alexandria, the 4th Century philosopher and mathematician and US jurist, Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

She invoked Hypatia’s call to action to “always reserve your right to think as it is better think wrongly than not think at all”.

“I know a number of you had the side hustle by local power brokers to infuence your decision on the mayoral vote today, but please give this vote a great deal of thought as your actions, not theirs, have a legacy that will have a profound effect and impact for the women of our Valley going forward,” she said.

“My second request is this, and it comes from another infuential woman of her times, someone I deeply admire and respect, former US Chief Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

“Her call to action in her time and her era is this I ask no favours of my sex. All I ask of you, our brethren, is that you take your feet off our necks.”

Cr Johnstone made no secret of his ambition for the top job.

“I really want this, and I might get a bit emotional too,” he said. “Sorry about that, but I really do want this.”

He appealed to councillors to acknowledge he was the most electorally popular of the mayoral candidates.

“I was touched that the people doubled my vote from last time, and I was only one of two candidates that achieved quota, that meant a lot to me,” he said.

“Please, councillors, can I ask? Can we let bygones be bygones?

And can you give the voters the leader they voted for?”

Councillors were not swayed by either Cr Johnstone or Cr Novak’s appeals.

Cr Johnstone fell at the frst hurdle, when Cr Smith secured fve votes and he and Cr Novak equally shared the remaining four.

He was excluded in the draw to decide which candidate would proceed to the second ballot.

The second vote predictably went 5-4 to Cr Smith.

The vote was: Cr Smith, Cr Clancy, Cr Cairns, Cr Causley and Cr Yager for Cr Smith. Cr Debrah Cr Novak, Cr Johnstone, Cr Toms and Cr Whaites for Cr Novak.

The vote for deputy installed the Greens Cr Clancy as deputy mayor. He beat the most electorally popular councillor, Cr Yager, and last councillor elected, Cr Karen Toms for the position.

The vote re-installed Cr Clancy as deputy, a position he won at the start of the last term of council in 2022, but relinquished in September 2023.

Cr Yager secured just one vote in the frst ballot and was excluded.

The voting in the second ballot was identical to the mayoral vote.

A seemingly innocuous piece of housekeeping soaked up a surprising amount of debate time at the Clarence Valley Council’s frst meeting.

A debate on what to do with the council’s Code of Meeting Practices, a document which decides the times, places and conduct of council meetings, suddenly became contentious, when Cr Lynne Cairns moved to defer it so councillors could workshop new times and meeting days as well as tidy up some minor technicalities.

Suddenly there was a furry of questions directed at Cr Cairns.

Cr Karen Toms wondered why the new councillor wanted to “change our code of meeting practice”?

Cr Peter Johnstone was concerned if the deferral