mmg.com.au

Councillor Lisa Ruffell has been elected mayor of the City of Greater Bendigo.

Councillors selected Cr Ruffell as the new mayor at a special council meeting on Monday night at the Bendigo Town Hall.

Greater Bendigo Council has used the mayor-elect process for many years as a way of preparing for the formal meeting.

Councillors Rod Fyffe, Rod Campbell, Mark Weragoda, Helen Leach, Elisa Chapman, Barry Lyons, Peter Cox and James Williams were also formally sworn in as councillors.

Cr Ruffell was first elected to council in 2008 and was returned as one of three councillors to represent the newly formed Whipstick Ward at this year’s October 27 poll.

A successful and active local businesswoman with a diverse range of qualifications and experiences, Cr Ruffell was awarded the 2000 Australian Federation of Business and Professional Woman Incorporated Bendigo Business Woman of the Year and was a finalist in the 2000 BPW Victorian Business Woman of the Year Awards.

She was a member of the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Committee, which forged closer links between Victoria Police and the City of Greater Bendigo community, and has raised funds for the Bendigo and Heathcote hospitals.

The newly elected Eppalock Ward councillors have also been busy over the last week making the transition from local resident to local representative.

Experienced councillor Rod Campbell was also re-elected, while newcomers Mark Weragoda and Helen Leach are looking forward to learning the ropes and getting to know the Heathcote region better with Cr Campbell.