At today's scheduled Council meeting, Councillors unanimously elected Cr Stuart King as Mayor of Swan Hill Rural City Council for his third consecutive mayoral term.
Councillors also elected Cr Terry Jennings to serve as Deputy Mayor.
Cr King said he was honoured to once again take on the leadership role and is looking forward to another productive year, acknowledging and thanking Cr Les McPhee as the outgoing Deputy Mayor.
"It's a privilege to continue serving the municipality as Mayor and to have the ongoing confidence and support of my fellow Councillors.
The last year has flown by and has mainly focussed on mandatory Councillor training, development of the Council Plan and supporting five newly elected Councillors in the role.
"Over the next 12 months, I'm looking forward to continuing to work alongside our community, fellow councillors and executive team to achieve positive outcomes across our municipality and the broader region. We have a passionate and committed Council team, and I'm confident that, together, we can continue to make meaningful progress and deliver outcomes for our region," he said.
Cr King said that advocacy will remain a key focus, particularly in the lead up to the 2026 Victorian State Election.
"It's important that our voice is heard loud and clear. The Swan Hill municipality is a significant part of the regional Victorian economy which underpins the economy of the State and the Nation - it's time that city-centric politicians recognised that and provide the necessary investment in our communities."
"I'll continue to advocate strongly for funding for the major projects that matter most to our residents, ratepayers and region - topping the list is a new Swan Hill Bridge. Enough is enough - it's time to build the bridge so that we can all get over it (literally!)
"This project is vital to improving safety, connectivity, and economic opportunity for our region, and I will continue to work tirelessly to ensure it remains on the State Government's radar.
"Other priorities include better road funding, community facilities projects, enabling infrastructure for housing, and ongoing support for continued funding of the Swan Hill Hospital redevelopment," Cr King said.
Cr King also highlighted the importance of collaboration across the region to strengthen collective advocacy.
From next month, he will take on the role of Chair of the Murray River Group of Councils, representing a partnership of six local government areas along the Murray River which includes Mildura, Swan Hill, Gannawarra, Loddon, Campaspe and Moira Councils. The group advocates for common priorities such as irrigation water security, infrastructure, economic development, environmental management, and liveability.
"The Murray River Group of Councils provides an important platform to speak with one strong regional voice, underpinned by the common theme of water security which is vital to the economies of all these Councils.
"The role of Chair is a great opportunity to continue strengthening our collaboration across the region and to ensure the needs of border communities are heard loud and clear," Cr King said.
In addition to this new leadership role, Cr King is a passionate and active committee member for Rural Councils Victoria, where he works with rural councils right across the state to address common rural and regional challenges and seize opportunities for growth and innovation.
Outside of his Mayoral duties Cr King plans to continue umpiring local football, is aiming to complete a half Marathon in 2026 and enjoy spending time with his wife Angela and their family.
