Camden has a new mayor, Labor councillor Ashleigh Cagney, but she may only be in the job for four months.
That’s because former mayor Therese Fedeli resigned from the role even though her term did not expire until September this year.
Mayor Fedeli ran for the new seat of Leppington at the state election on March 27 where she lost to Labor’s Nathan Hagarty.
Last night she handed in her resignation and Cr Cagney won the subsequent mayoral vote 6-2.
One councillor, former mayor Lara Symkowiak, did not attend last night’s meeting.
Then, making a curious situation even more strange, Cr Fedeli was elected deputy mayor, also until September.
Why Cr Fedeli resigned from the mayorship is also a mystery, but it is believed to be linked to Liberal Party issues going back a few years.
The South West Voice tried to contact Cr Fedeli for comment.
As for Mayor Ashleigh Cagney, pictured above left with Cr Fedeli, she was spending her first day as Camden Mayor today by attending her children’s athletics carnival.
Last night, though, after being elected, Ms Cagney said she was honoured to become the 35th Mayor of Camden.
“It’s a great privilege to lead my fellow councillors as we continue to make Camden a great place to live and work in,” she said.
“Camden is one of the fastest growing LGAs in the country and so it’s vital that we continue to make the right decisions and go from strength to strength.
“Being a local, I’m as proud of the Camden area as we all are, and I’m as eager as ever to help make it the best place it can be.
“I’d like to thank Cr Fedeli for her four years as Mayor.
“It has been an honour to receive her guidance as we tackled the challenging circumstances of bushfires, floods and Covid-19.
“I look forward to continuing to work with her as our deputy mayor, as well as my fellow Councillors.”
Cr Fedeli congratulated Cr Cagney for her appointment as Mayor.
“I look forward to continuing to work with Mayor Cagney and my fellow councillors to continue delivering a great range of initiatives, events and projects for the Camden area,” Cr Fedeli said.
