Mayor quits to have baby
Isabelle Tolhurst has resigned as Borough of Queenscliffe mayor, effective immediately, to prepare for the arrival of her second child.
Ms Tolhurst announced her resignation at a council meeting on Wednesday, but said she would stay on as a councillor until the end of the council term later this year.
Ms Tolhurst said she felt she could not keep up with the demands of the role while also getting ready to have her second child.
“Resigning from the mayoral position is an acknowledgment that it is a very demanding role,” she said.
“To fulfil it, do it as I believe community expects, I would wish to continue working as I have been – being visible, active, responsive, available and advocating for my community and the borough.”
Ms Tolhurst said she felt obliged to step down if she
could not continue meeting those demands.
“Serving as mayor has been one of the great privileges of my life,” she said.
“It was the level of demand and intensive community involvement that was the source of great reward in the role.”
Ms Tolhurst was first elected to the council by countback in 2022 and was voted in as mayor later that year.
She was re-elected in 2023. Ms Tolhurst said she wanted to thank the community, her councillor colleagues, and the staff of the borough.
“It is your commitment to each other, the drive for better, the passion for people and place that makes the job so special,” she said.
“I look forward to serving the community for the remainder of the term.”
In her place, councillor Ross Ebbels was voted in as the new mayor.
Mr Ebbels thanked Ms Tolhurst for her service and said he looked forward to his fourth term.
“I’m honoured to have the support of my fellow councillors in electing me as mayor of the Borough of Queenscliffe,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to working with councillors, officers and our community, and I thank Ms Tolhurst for her time and dedication in this role, understanding what a difficult decision this was for her to make.”
At the meeting, Rob Minty was also elected deputy mayor.