List of mayors of North Sydney


His/Her Worship the Mayor of North Sydney is the head of North Sydney Council, which is the local government area in the lower north shore region of Sydney including North Sydney, Neutral Bay, Cremorne and Crows Nest in the State of New South Wales, Australia. The Mayor has been directly elected since 1983, replacing the previous system of being internally elected annually by the Councillors, and serves a four-year term. The most recent election was held on 9 September 2017, at which the incumbent Mayor since 2012, Jilly Gibson, was re-elected to a second term. The Mayor is assisted in their work by a Deputy Mayor, who is elected on an annual basis by the elected councillors.

History

The area now covered by North Sydney Council originally comprised three municipalities: the Borough of East St Leonards from 1860, the Borough of St Leonards from 1867 and the very small Borough of Victoria from 1871. These boroughs lasted until 29 July 1890 when they merged to form the "Borough of North Sydney", with the last Mayor of St Leonards, Francis Punch, elected as the first Mayor of North Sydney. Following a petition submitted by residents in 1892, on 11 April 1893 the Mossman Ward of North Sydney confirmed its separation as the Borough of Mosman, being proclaimed by Lieutenant-Governor Sir Frederick Darley. From 28 December 1906, following the passing of the Local Government Act, 1906, the council was renamed as the "Municipality of North Sydney". With the passing of the Local Government Act, 1993, the Municipality of North Sydney became North Sydney Council and aldermen were renamed councillors.
A referendum passed at the 2017 election also altered the system of electing the mayor. Starting in 2020, the mayor will be elected by the councillors from among their members for a two-year term. As the wording of this referendum did not specify a reduction in the number of elected positions in the Council, the Office of Local Government required Council to specify a ward structure of equal numbers to each ward: two wards of five councillors or five wards of two councillors. At its extraordinary meeting held on 20 January 2020, the Council voted to adopt a two-ward model on a north/south boundary with the northern ward named "St Leonards Ward" and the southern ward named "Cammeraygal Ward" from the next election. Although the fixed term of the Council is four years, due to delays caused by amalgamations and the COVID-19 pandemic, the current term from 9 September 2017 will expire in September 2021.

List of incumbents

The following individuals has served as the Mayor of North Sydney Council, or any predecessor titles:
#OfficeholderTerm startTerm endTime in officeNotes
Francis Punch8 August 189010 February 1892
Gerard Phillips10 February 189217 May 1892
Edward Mann Clark24 May 189212 February 1893
Alexander Macknight12 February 189315 February 1894
Gerald Joseph Barry15 February 189411 February 1897
John Mitchell Purves11 February 189710 February 1898
Francis Clarke10 February 189811 February 1899
–John Mitchell Purves14 February 189912 February 1901
Thomas Wilson Hodgson12 February 190112 February 1903
John Carter12 February 19039 February 1909
Alfred Milson9 February 19096 February 1912
Charles Alexander Walker6 February 19123 November 1913
–Alfred Milson11 November 19133 February 1914
William Anderson3 February 191428 February 1918
–Edward Mann Clark1 March 19181 March 1919
Albert Ernest Whatmore1 March 191913 December 1921
Henry Green13 December 192112 December 1922
George Thomas Clarke12 December 192211 December 1923
Charles William Watt11 December 19237 December 1926
Hubert Primrose7 December 192620 December 1932
Raymond Lee Hodgson20 December 19324 December 1934
Robert Charles Forsyth4 December 19343 December 1935
David Blair Hunter3 December 19357 December 1937
James Street Stanton7 December 193714 December 1939
John Cramer14 December 19396 December 1941
George Augustus FowleDecember 19415 December 1945
William Alan Gould Kesterton 5 December 1945December 1949
Cecil Leatham Kyle December 1949December 1950
–George Augustus FowleDecember 195015 December 1953
William Henry Brothers15 December 1953December 1956
John LincolnDecember 195619 December 1958
Joseph Vincent Bugler19 December 1958December 1961
Leslie Nuttal FlitcroftDecember 19611 December 1962
Barton Donald Higgs5 December 19621 December 1964
Royce Henry Herswell Jeffrey1 December 196415 July 1966
Innes Stanley Haviland26 July 196613 December 1968
–Joseph Vincent Bugler13 December 196811 December 1969
Michael John Fitzpatrick11 December 196923 September 1971
John Thomas Woodward23 September 197127 September 1972
Michael O'Dea 27 September 197221 September 1974
–Innes Stanley Haviland25 September 197424 September 1975
David Michael Wyllie24 September 197522 September 1976
–Michael John Fitzpatrick22 September 197629 September 1977
Willis Anthony Salier29 September 197720 September 1978
–Michael John Fitzpatrick20 September 197826 September 1979
Carole Baker26 September 197920 September 1980
Ted Mack29 September 19804 October 1988
Roslyn Crichton10 December 198814 September 1991
Gerry Nolan14 September 19919 September 1995
Genia McCaffery9 September 19958 September 2012
Jilly Gibson8 September 2012Incumbent

Deputy Mayors

The position of Deputy Mayor was made a permanent council position when the Local Government Act 1919 came into effect from 1 January 1920. However, the position was optional and was not filled until August 1926, when during a period of illness of the sitting mayor, Charles Watt, the Council resolved to fill the position permanently, and a former mayor, Edward Clark, was elected as the first Deputy Mayor. The following individuals have been elected as Deputy Mayor of North Sydney:
#OfficeholderTerm startTerm endTime in officeNotesMayor
Edward Mann Clark17 August 19267 December 1926Watt
Robert Charles Forsyth7 December 192620 December 1932Primrose
Sydney Frederick Rupert Hardy20 December 19325 December 1933Hodgson
–Robert Charles Forsyth5 December 19334 December 1934Hodgson
David Blair Hunter4 December 19343 December 1935Forsyth
James Street Stanton3 December 19357 December 1937Hunter
John Cramer7 December 193714 December 1939Stanton
George Augustus Fowle14 December 1939December 1941Cramer
William Alan Gould KestertonDecember 194127 December 1942Fowle
Kenneth McLeod Bolton27 December 19425 December 1944Fowle
–William Alan Gould Kesterton5 December 19445 December 1945Fowle
William Henry Brothers5 December 1945December 1948Kesterton
December 1948December 1949Kesterton
December 1949December 1950Kyle
December 195015 December 1953Fowle
Barton Donald Higgs15 December 1953December 1954Brothers
December 1954December 1956Brothers
December 195619 December 1958Lincoln
Matthew Goodman19 December 195815 December 1959Bugler
Joseph Aloysius Hazell15 December 1959December 1960Bugler
December 1960December 1961Bugler
December 19611 December 1962Flitcroft
William Edward Churchill5 December 19621 December 1964Higgs
William Edward Churchill1 December 196410 December 1965Jeffrey
Allan John Mitchell10 December 196526 July 1966Jeffrey
Allan John Mitchell26 July 196613 December 1966Haviland
Frederick James Brunton13 December 196613 December 1968Haviland
John Thomas Woodward13 December 196811 December 1969Bugler
John Thomas Woodward11 December 196911 December 1970Fitzpatrick
Helen Gordon Cook11 December 197023 September 1971Fitzpatrick
Peter Ronald Tranter23 September 197127 September 1972Woodward
Peter Ronald Tranter27 September 197219 September 1973O'Dea
David Michael Wyllie19 September 197325 September 1974O'Dea
Robyn Read Hamilton25 September 197422 September 1976Wyllie
Carole Anne Baker22 September 197629 September 1977Fitzpatrick
–David Michael Wyllie29 September 197720 September 1978Salier
Henry William Wirth20 September 197826 September 1979Fitzpatick
26 September 197929 September 1980Baker
29 September 1980September 1981Mack
September 1981September 1982Mack
September 1982September 1983Mack
September 1983September 1984Mack
September 1984September 1985Mack
September 1985September 1986Mack
September 1986September 1987Mack
September 1987September 1988Mack
September 198810 December 1988Mack
10 December 1988September 1989Crichton
September 1989September 1990Crichton
September 1990September 1991Crichton
Shirley Ann CollessSeptember 1991September 1992Nolan
September 1992September 1993Nolan
September 1993September 1994Nolan
Sybil KestevenSeptember 1994September 1995Nolan
September 1995September 1996McCaffery
September 1996September 1997McCaffery
September 1997September 1998McCaffery
Penny ScardifieldSeptember 199827 March 2004McCaffery
Craig Carland19 April 200425 September 2006McCaffery
Evan Predavec25 September 200610 September 2007McCaffery
Michel Reymond10 September 200721 September 2009McCaffery
Andrew Robjohns21 September 200913 September 2010McCaffery
–Michel Reymond13 September 201012 September 2011McCaffery
Zoë Baker12 September 201124 September 2012McCaffery
Sarah Burke24 September 201216 September 2013Gibson
Stephen Barbour16 September 201315 September 2014Gibson
Maryann Beregi15 September 201421 September 2015Gibson
Jeff Morris21 September 201519 September 2016Gibson
Melissa Clare19 September 20169 September 2017Gibson
–Stephen Barbour9 October 2017IncumbentGibson