New blood has been selected to steer Clarence Valley Council for the next 12 months with Cr Peter Johnstone elected Mayor and Jeff Smith Deputy Mayor, both candidates securing their positions by a single vote.

In a surprise move, both incumbents, former Mayor Ian Tiley, and his Deputy Mayor Greg Clancy, did not nominate for election at the September 26 council meeting at the Grafton chambers.

General Manager Laura Black announced there were three nominations for Mayor, Cr Peter Johnstone (nominated by Cr Jeff Smith), Cr Debrah Novak (nominated by Cr Steve Pickering), and Cr Steve Pickering (nominated by Cr Karen Toms), with incumbent Mayor Ian Tiley electing not to nominate.

Councillors then unanimously elected to hold the election vote by a “show of hands” and each nominee was given five minutes to address the meeting.

Cr Peter Johnstone said by combining councillors “skill sets” he believed as a council they “covered all bases” and asked that they come together to work together as a team.

Cr Debrah Novak spoke about the qualities of a good leader and how her life experience had shaped her views and how elected councillors are the pathfinders for the valley who need to navigate the best path forward for the community.

Cr Steve Pickering said when he first ran for council in 2021, he stood for inclusion, to rebuild the relationship between council and the community, to return transparency and openness, and his vision for the valley was one of success, prosperity, and one where we support and encourage each other.

When Ms Black asked councillors who wanted to elect Debrah Novak to show their hands, only Cr Novak voted for herself.

Then Cr Steve Pickering received three votes from Cr Allison Whaites, Cr Toms and himself.

Votes from Cr Greg Clancy, Cr Tiley, Cr Bill Day, Cr Jeff Smith, and himself, saw Cr Peter Johnstone as well as Cr Steve Pickering remain in the running for Mayor, while Cr Novak was excluded.

In the final round of voting for Mayor, Cr Steve Pickering was supported by Cr’s Novak, Whaites, and Toms, while the remaining votes for Cr Peter Johnstone from Cr’s Clancy, Day, Tiley, and Smith saw the first term councillor elected as the new Clarence Valley Mayor five votes to four.

In his first task as Mayor, Cr Johnstone called for nominations for Deputy Mayor, with Cr Jeff Smith (nominated by Cr Novak) and Cr Karen Toms (nominated by Cr Pickering) putting their names forward and councillors voting unanimously that the election be held by a show of hands, with nominees given three minutes each to address the meeting.

Cr Karen Toms said from her 15 years’ experience as a councillor she had gained the knowledge and skills to be a good leader, with a democratic style leadership and an open mind she hoped to work with the new Mayor to help the valley progress.

Reflecting on a poem from his childhood, Cr Jeff Smith spoke about how, as a leader, you must be comfortable in a wide variety of community settings, be available to the community, be respectful and courteous, all qualities he proudly displays.

In the Deputy Mayoral vote, Cr Karen Toms received support from Cr’s Pickering, Novak, and Whaites, while Cr’s Tiley, Clancy, Day, and Johnstone supported Cr Jeff Smith, which saw him elected five votes to four.

Ms Black declared Cr Johnstone the new Clarence Valley Council Mayor, and Cr Smith the new Deputy Mayor and they will remain in their positions until the next council election in September 2024.

Cr Johnstone is a father of three, a maths teacher of 28 years’ experience and a former Royal Air Force officer whose wife, Julie, is a Grafton doctor.

He said he was looking forward to getting out in the community to meet people across the valley.

“(To) meet new people in a new way (as the Mayor), and to network with people across the region and across the state, meet other Mayors, get to every corner of the Clarence Valley,” he said.

Known for his colourful shirts, Grafton businessman Cr Smith said it was important to reestablish trust between council and the community which is something he will strive to achieve.

“To continue to rebuild trust and try and inject more respect and decency,” he said.

“We’ve got to reach out to the general public so they can trust the democratic system better.”

Cr Johnstone acknowledged he had a lot to learn in his role as Mayor, but he was excited for the challenge.

“I’ve got to really learn the role,” he said.

“It’s a very steep learning curve and there are a lot of things I have to learn.

“There are also a lot of people I have to meet, but the key thing is networking, to make new contacts and go from there.”

Cr Smith said he was determined to resolve some lingering issues during the remainder of this council term, so the next council doesn’t inherit them.

“There’s been some lingering issues and some of them were dealt with last night (during the meeting), there are still some lingering issues that we need to fix and draw a line in the sand and move forward so there are no lingering problems that the next council has to deal with like we’ve had to deal with in many ways,” he said.

Rodney Stevens