Upper Hunter Shire Council has a new mayor, with Councillor Pat Ryan elected to the role in a five-to-four vote against incumbent Maurice Collison.
Cr Ryan had been serving as deputy mayor since the last election in 2024. He becomes the first mayor elected from Merriwa since the shire was formed in 2004 through the amalgamation of the former Scone Shire and parts of the Murrurundi and Merriwa shires.
Cr Collison, a Woolooma grazier, first became mayor in 2020 and had been re-elected to the role in 2024. The mayoral election is decided by councillors rather than a public vote, following a 2016 referendum in which the community voted against a popularly elected mayor.
Councillor Peter McGill has been elected Deputy Mayor.
The Mayor and Deputy Mayor hold their positions for a two-year term, with the next mayoral election due in 2028.
