By JESSE GRAHAM
YARRA Ranges mayor Maria McCarthy will not be seeking re-election when councillors meet for their mayoral election next month.
Cr McCarthy told the Mail that she would not contest the position of mayor at the 17 November special council meeting, where councillors elect the mayor and deputy mayor for the coming year.
“I’m looking forward to going back to being just the councillor, and my home will be happy,” she said, referencing a garden that had been neglected during her mayoral year.
“I’m not interested in being re-elected.”
Describing her time as mayor as a “big eye-opener”, Cr McCarthy said that her year in the mayor’s chair put her in contact with community groups and organisations outside of her own ward of Billanook.
She paid tribute to the groups around the Yarra Ranges, and said they and council, overall, had the same goal – to make the area the best they could.
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s environment, history, community groups or service clubs, everybody’s there for the same purpose – they want to make Yarra Ranges a better place,” Cr McCarthy said.
A Yarra Ranges Council spokesperson said that Cr McCarthy had presented “at least” 50 formal speeches during her time as mayor, as well as a number of informal speeches.
Cr McCarthy said that she had lost much of her public speaking confidence in recent years, after experiencing medical issues, though some had been regained through her time with Wandin Toastmasters Club.
“I was a Toastmaster before and I had my own business, I was quite confident in my own space – but I lost that,” she said.
“They’ve been very helpful – even sitting in the chair, it’s helped just to be confident speaking and using the microphone.
“It felt quite good to be in the chair yesterday (Tuesday 13 October).”
Cr McCarthy said no-one had yet put their hand up for the mayoral position, though nominations would be organised in the lead-up to the meeting.
Which Yarra Ranges councillor would you like to see take the top job for the coming year?
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