Snowy Monaro Regional Council held mid-term elections for mayor and deputy mayor at the September Ordinary Council Meeting in Cooma on Thursday 17 September 2026, with Mayor Chris Hanna re-elected for a third term and Cr Tanya Higgins elected to the office of deputy mayor.
Mayor Hanna and Deputy Mayor Tanya Higgins will now serve in their roles until the end of the current Council term in September 2028.
In the Snowy Monaro, councillors vote to elect a mayor at the start and halfway point of every Council term-typically once every two years-as required by the Local Government Act 1993.
Mayor Hanna was first elected to lead the governing body in September 2023 and has now been re-elected for his third term of office.
'It's an honour to be elected for a third term as Mayor,' said Mayor Chris Hanna.
'It's important that Council has stable leadership and I believe that together with CEO Noreen Vu and Deputy Mayor Tanya Higgins, Council has the right team in place to navigate our Council through everything that lies ahead.'
'A huge thank you to Cr Tricia Hopkins for her tireless work as Deputy Mayor these past two years, and I look forward to continuing to work closely together for the remaining Council term,' said the Mayor.
Deputy Mayor Higgins previously served as our region's deputy mayor from January 2022 to September 2024.
The deputy mayor position stands in for the mayor during periods of leave and other absences from office.
'It is such a privilege to be given this opportunity,' said Deputy Mayor Tanya Higgins.
'I'm looking forward to serving again as Deputy Mayor alongside Mayor Hanna to secure a fair, equitable and sustainable future for our Council.'
