Cr Sarah Nicholas was elected as Alpine Shire Mayor at last night's Ordinary Council Meeting, with Cr Gareth Graham elected as Deputy Mayor.
Both Mayor and Deputy Mayor will serve a one-year term.
Alpine Shire Mayor, Cr Sarah Nicholas, thanked the other Councillors for the nomination.
"I really appreciate the support and confidence in me," she said.
"We still have a lot to learn as a group, about being a Councillor, about being a really good Council, about working together, and about working with our community."
Cr Nicholas also spoke to Cr Graham's term as Alpine Shire Mayor.
"What I wanted to also mention is the incredible courage that Cr Graham exhibited and integrity to stand aside after he'd found out a bit more about what a Mayor's role actually entails," she said.
"It's really important that we engage, make decisions for the whole municipal community, with empathy and understanding, but on a foundation of exemplary governance, and that takes time and experience to be able to wield that and understand that.
"I think that there are some really good potential elders sitting at this bench and, by the end of this term, there'll be other people in this chair."
Cr Nicholas emphasised her focus to drive advocacy during this next year as an election year.
"We've got some really important community matters that we've identified through the Council Plan and that we continue to identify with our community," she said.
"Things like affordable housing, child care, hospitals, aged care, and transport."
Cr Nicholas also discussed the maintenance and improvement of community infrastructure.
"This is why we've produced the Community Infrastructure Needs Assessment report, so that we can see how we can set the priorities and go forward, she said.
"We need money behind that and that's where advocacy is really important."
Cr Nicholas stated that her aims for the year included getting the Council future-ready.
"We know we have awful disasters," she said.
"They might be economic or environmental.
"It's about being on the front foot because we don't know how deeply the shocks will reverberate, but we know our communities are going to be affected by them."
Cr Nicholas also emphasised her passion to improve community understanding of civic process across Alpine Shire.
"I invite the other Councillors to work with me to work with communities to help improve understanding and help them to contribute," she said.
"I believe that will improve our reputation and rebuild trust.
I think it's really important that we listen to the vision, ideas, and concerns of our community and help people with solutions about how to put those forward."
Community members can access the recording of the November Ordinary Council Meeting on Council's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xorPczNDz8g
The 2026 schedule for Ordinary Council Meetings can be viewed on Council's website by visiting https://www.alpineshire.vic.gov.au/about-us/our-council/council-meetings/council-meetings-2026