MURRAY Emerson is the new mayor of Northern Grampians Shire.
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Cr Emerson was elected at a statutory meeting in Stawell on Monday night.
He takes over from Cr Kevin Erwin, who has served four terms in the role during his time on council.
Cr Emerson said he was looking forward to leading council for the next 12 months.
"It's an honour and a privilege to be elected by my fellow councillors to represent the Northern Grampians Shire as mayor," he said.
"One of my main goals will be to lead a united team, while respecting everyone's individuality in regards to opinions. I believe that to achieve great things it is important that we direct our personal views into a cohesive framework.
"During my first term in local government I have been lucky enough to be ably led by Cr Wayne Rice and then Cr Kevin Erwin and I have gained an appreciation for what a huge job the mayoral position is.
"As a council, we have an enormous amount of opportunities and challenges facing us in the next 12 months to two years and I hope and believe I will be able to fulfil the expectations of my fellow councillors and the community."
Cr Emerson said council was looking forward to progressing a number of projects in 2015.
"Obviously the Big Hill Enhanced Development Project will remain a challenge for Stawell, regardless of whether or not it goes ahead, while council is continuing with plans for an underground physics lab," he said.
"This internationally significant project has the potential to create a minimum of 240 direct and indirect jobs within the next 10 years and deliver a $1.5-million boost to tourism," he said.
"Elsewhere in the shire we will be working on some important community projects, including the redevelopment of St Arnaud's Lord Nelson Park and the Halls Gap master plan."
Cr Erwin said 2014 had been a challenging yet rewarding year.
"We have built a solid foundation in the past 12 months and have done an enormous amount of planning right across the shire," he said.
"We saw a number of projects gain momentum or funding commitments after many years of advocacy and lobbying, including the Halls Gap Community and Tourism Hub, the Grampians Peaks Trail, Walkers Lake, the Landsborough Pipeline, the Wildlife Arts Museum of Australia and the Western Highway duplication, all of which will have huge benefits for our townships.
"While it has been a difficult year for the farming community and other businesses due to a lack of rain, it's been encouraging to see the expansion of some major industries like Frewstal and Riverlea."
Cr Erwin said he believed council was in a strong position moving forward.
"I would like to wish Cr Emerson all the best for the ensuing 12 months and look forward to working with our new mayor, fellow councillors and council staff to support and strengthen our communities," he said.