Council
17 August, 2026
Things are about to change – hopefully for the best
Things are about to change at Wingecarribee Shire Council. Big time. Mayor Jesse Fitzpatrick has announced that he will not seek re-election in September.
Comment: Stuart Carless
Things are about to change at Wingecarribee Shire Council.
Big time.
Mayor Jesse Fitzpatrick has announced that he will not seek re-election in September.
So it’s a question of who steps into the position at a time when the community is seeking decisive leadership on a whole range of issues – particularly in relation to financial sustainability and the proposal for a Special Rate Variation (SRV).
The 7-2 voting bloc which has dominated the chamber since an elected council returned in late 2024 means the new mayor will almost inevitably be one of six councillors: Deputy mayor Erin Foley or councillors Heather Champion, Therese Duffy, James Farrell, David Kent and Nicole Smith.
The two other councillors – Sara Moylan and Rachel Russell – would potentially be crowd (community) favourites for the position but unfortunately the numbers don’t stack up in their favour.
Erin Foley had nothing to say when we contacted her today.
“No comment”.
That could mean anything – possibly that the mayor’s announcement came as a shock and councillors are now considering if it’s a role they want to take on given council is in a financial crisis and community expectations are at an all-time high.
Cr Fitpatrick has effectively handed over a poisoned chalice. He geared council towards massive rates hike and bailed when it came to the crunch.
That’s not decisive leadership – that’s incompetence. That’s a simple failure to deliver on whiteboard promises and to lead Wingecarribee into the future.
Residents have every right to feel let down and disappointed.
Maybe he’s just busy.
The mayor was recently asked if he’s a builder or a developer and he said he was neither.
Yet council’s own website says Cr Fitzpatrick has been a Southern Highlands resident his entire life “and is a professional builder”.
If there was a test for honesty and transparency Cr Fitzpatrick would have failed the test.
You either build or you don’t.
I feel for elected representatives at any level of government. It’s a tough gig. Probably toughest at local government level.
Expectations are high but the ability to actually deliver is constrained for a number of reasons.
In the Wingecarribee those reasons are primarily financial. Council says we are not in financial trouble but is pushing for a 34.4 per cent rate increase over the next three years.
That’s not problematic. It’s not even disastrous. It’s a crisis that will impact on ratepayers for decades to come and still we have people telling us that everything is OK. Nothing to see here.
Back to the mayoral vacancy.
Three other councillors got across the line in the 2024 election on Cr Fitpatrick’s ticket: Foley, Duffy and Farrell.
The Southern Wire has simply been told to look at Cr Fitzpatrick’s ticket to see who is most likely to become our next mayor.
Let’s rule out Cr Farrell. If he has a voice he needs to use it. If he has an opinion he somehow needs to verbalise it.
That leaves Crs Foley and Duffy.
We tried to contact them earlier without success so we don’t know where they stand.
Cr Nicole Smith said it had been a tough few months for the mayor.
“It hasn’t been easy for him,” she said.
It would now be a numbers game and a case of considering who is not only willing but who will be best for the community.
She acknowledged the role was extremely important and there would be serious consideration about who takes it on.
So it’s a case of wait and see while councillors juggle the numbers amongst themselves and basically anoint a new mayor before the formal vote.
Ratepayers don’t get a say.
We get what we are given and we hope for the best.
But here’s a suggestion.
The new mayor should sit it on some meetings at Wollondilly, Goulburn or Yass to get a few tips on how effective meetings should be run.
The mayors are not combative or dismissive. They encourage discussion. They give everyone an opportunity to contribute to debate without shutting them down.
Decisions are often unanimous because there has been an opportunity for genuine and inclusive discussion.
That’s what we want in the Wingecarribee.
Meetings that matter and mayors that leave a legacy.
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