Council
3 December, 2025
Rebecca Sluggett elected deputy mayor
Kalimna Ward councillor Rebecca Sluggett has welcomed the opportunity to nominate for the deputy mayor role.
Horsham Rural City Council did not elect a deputy at the 2024 election but voted unanimously to do so as the council entered its second year of a four-year term.
Crs Sluggett and Todd Wilson nominated for deputy mayor with a 4:2 vote in Cr Sluggett's favour.
Cr Sluggett is married to husband Dale, and they have two teens, Cindy, 18, and Gavin, 14.
They have a small hobby farm at Pimpinio where they run a few sheep and crops.
"It's a mixed block and enough to keep us busy and also provide the country life we wanted for our family," she said.
"I left school in my early teens, but after getting married and having our family, I decided it was time for me to go back to some studies."
Cr Sluggett studied at Longerenong College and achieved diplomas in Agriculture Business Management and in Agronomy.
Along with her employment with AWN over the past five years, she has a background in farming and livestock.
She entered local government last year to make a difference, having been involved in many volunteer roles.
"I like a challenge," she said.
"I like problem-solving, so this suits me in my advocacy role with the community."
Cr Sluggett said her reason for nominating for deputy came from the past 12 months as a councillor.
"I enjoyed it even though the workload was probably more than I imagined, but in saying that, I realised how much I was learning and I enjoyed that," she said.
Cr Sluggett said she had particularly enjoyed the additional training now required for councillors, as well as for mayors and deputies.
"I think this adds to the accountability of us as a council and also gives us the tools to do the job as well as we can," she said.
Attending meetings and workshops representing HRCC also gave her an understanding of the importance of advocacy when dealing with organisations making decisions about local government.
"We, as a council, need to be informed, and taking on the deputy role means I can give more to Horsham, and it also means that a deputy can step in when the mayor isn't available or has to step aside for any number of reasons," she said.
"A deputy has the opportunity to be across most of the mayor's duties to be able to pick it up straight away."
Cr Sluggett said as the council looks towards a new year, she wants to increase community engagement, especially with local businesses that may be feeling the impact of change.
She also said the grace shown to her and the new council from the community since their election had been overwhelming.
"I am especially thankful for the kindness I've been shown," she said.
"The community has shown us grace as we learned the role, and for that I am grateful."
She said her family encouraged her to run for council last year, and their support has been important to her.
"Some people have said being on the council is a thankless job, but I haven't found that. It is very satisfying," she said.
