Independent councillor Mary Lyons-Buckett has been elected Mayor of Hawkesbury.
Cr Lyons-Buckett was voted in eight to three over Liberal councillor Sarah Richards.
Crs Paul Rasmussen, Barry Calvert, Amanda Kotlash, Danielle Wheeler, Peter Reynolds, Emma Jane-Garrow and John Ross voted for her.
Cr Richards, Nathan Zamprogno and Patrick Conolly voted for Cr Richards.
Cr Tiffany Tree was absent from the vote.
Cr Lyons-Buckett said one of the main priorities for Council was to restore the community’s faith in its Council.
“In the coming months, we will collectively work to restore the community confidence which has eroded away,” she said.
“Our cornerstones will be respect and transparency. Transparency is fundamental in gaining the respect of the community and from here on we must be transparent in all our decisions.”
She added that avoiding amalgamation was crucial for this Council.
“We need to work hard, and we need to retain the autonomy and identity of this Council,” she said.
“We want to keep the Hawkesbury the Hawkesbury. We don't want to be taken over by urban growth or split up by the state government.”
Labor’s Barry Calvert was elected deputy Mayor along the same lines that voted Cr Lyons-Buckett Mayor.