New Shire of Lake Grace councillors herald a “fresh start” after extraordinary election to rebuild council

Two new elected members at the Shire of Lake Grace are hoping the council rebuild represents a “fresh start”. Lake Grace’s Shane Carruthers and Varley farmer Benjamin Hyde emerged as the Shire’s new councillors after six people nominated for an extraordinary election. Last month’s election came after the resignation of the Shire’s chief executive, president and another councillor earlier this year. Cr Carruthers, who received 201 out of a total 1018 votes, said he hoped the new-look council would “put all that behind us and get on with it”. “My main objective is to unite the Shire a bit more and get rid of different segregations, the us-versus-them mentality that has been there for years,” he said. “If you a councillor, you need to work for the whole Shire, not just your little area.” He said the Shire should strive to keep money in the community wherever possible. “It is pretty important coming out of COVID-19 to keep our money local,” he said. Cr Hyde, who received the most votes with 316, said it was a good opportunity to strengthen the council. “I wanted a bit more representation for the eastern end of the Shire — there hasn’t been anyone from this way for a few years,” he said. The new members have a year on the council before ordinary elections in October 2021.