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Dick is Mayor again

Dick is Mayor again

14 years since last serving as Mayor, City of Port Phillip councillor Dick Gross is back in the position following a special council meeting on November 29.

Fellow Canal Ward councillor Louise Crawford was named Deputy Mayor, which was most recently held by Cr Gross under outgoing Mayor of three years Cr Bernadene Voss.

Both Cr Gross and Cr Crawford were elected unopposed for the 12-month positions.

Elected to the current council in 2016, Cr Gross was a former Port Phillip councillor, including three terms as Mayor, from 1996 to 2008. He is also a former president of the Municipal Association of Victoria.

Cr Gross praised outgoing mayor Bernadene Voss for the skill and energy she brought to the role, noting council had succeeded in gaining 10 of its 11 advocacy priorities at the recent Victorian State Election.

In a heartfelt Facebook tribute to his council colleague, he said Cr Voss had given so much of herself to the job and three years of her life full time to the City of Port Phillip.

“Her family may miss her, and welcome her back, but her fellow council colleagues are eternally indebted to the strength of her leadership and to her innate ability to bring our tribes together and find the middle ground,” he wrote.

“Being Mayor is not easy. Thanks are far fewer than critiques and yet we have managed to deliver a set of council policies and strategies that will lead this council into the next decade.”

“So, to you Bernadene, on behalf of council, residents and businesses of Port Phillip, I say thank you.”

Gateway Ward Cr Voss thanked her family for their support during her three consecutive stints as Mayor over two council terms.

“This is a brave council and I look forward to continuing to serve our community as we keep delivering on our commitments,” she said.

Cr Louise Crawford said she felt privileged to have the opportunity to learn and serve as Deputy Mayor in her first term as a councillor.

“I am looking forward to supporting the Mayor and my fellow councillors and encouraging as many members of our diverse community as possible to participate and get involved as we implement our council plan priorities,” she said.

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