Cr Pontin, who was first elected to MidCoast Council in 2017 and served as deputy mayor between 2019-21, will be assisted by new councillor Alan Tickle who was elected deputy mayor.

The mayor and deputy were chosen at the start of the first meeting of the newly election council at Yalawanyi Ganya, Taree earlier on Wednesday, January 12.

The votes were conducted by a show of hands, the only method possible as Cr Peter Howard attended the meeting via Zoom.

The mayor's position attracted three nominations - Cr Pontin, Peter Epov and Kathryn Bell.

Cr Bell received no votes, while Cr Epov received four votes (Crs Epov, Peter Howard, Dheera Smith and Kathryn Bell).

Cr Pontin got seven votes (Crs Pontin, Paul Sandilands, Katheryn Smith, Alan Tickle, David West, Jeremy Miller and Troy Fowler).

Cr Pontin is MidCoast Council's first female mayor.

However, this is not the first time the merged local government area (Great Lakes, Greater Taree and Gloucester) has elected a woman to the top job.

The former Taree municipality had a woman - Geraldine Richardson held the position of mayor in the 1950s - approximately 70 years ago, while more recently, Jan McWilliams led Great Lakes Council for eight years until the merger.

Cr Pontin welcomed the opportunity to represent council and undertake the other duties of mayor.

"I'm incredibly honoured and humbled to be elected as mayor," she said.

"I don't accept the role lightly.

"I'm keen to effect some changes that I see as important and I've spent a lot of time over the last few weeks talking to councillors to get a better view of their priorities and concerns for MidCoast Council, and to encourage a collaborative and progressive approach.

"I am looking forward to working with them all to achieve some tangible benefits for the people of Mid-Coast.

"We have some challenges ahead and we need to respond effectively to them.

"I'm hopeful we can introduce some new processes to improve our consultations, communication, accountability, and responsiveness to the community.

"One of my key priorities is to build better linkages with the various business sectors.

Without thriving businesses, the community as a whole suffers.

"The mayor's role is one of strategic oversight and leadership and I want to be accessible for the community, to listen and better understand the majority views, so we can better focus our resources to achieve the outcomes the community want to see."

The position of deputy mayor was contested by Cr Tickle and Cr Bell, with Tickle receiving seven votes (Crs Claire Pontin, Paul Sandilands, Katheryn Smith, Alan Tickle, David West, Jeremy Miller and Troy Fowler) and Cr Bell receiving four (Crs Peter Epov, Peter Howard, Dheera Smith and Kathryn Bell).

Cr Tickle said that he had lengthy discussions with Cr Pontin on the need to mould a team of councillors who maintain a strategic focus and work collaboratively.

"It was apparent that the majority support was there for Cr Pontin which was a telling factor for me in my decision not to contend the position of mayor at this time but I am honoured that the council voted for me in the support role of deputy mayor," he said.

"The saying 'there is no I in team' means that all councillors need to move forward, respect the decision on leadership, listen to the views of colleagues and not lose sight of what the community expect of us and the trust that is vested in the elected body."

Crs Pontin and Tickle will hold their respective offices of mayor and deputy mayor until the next local government elections to be held in 2023.

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