![Cr Steve Ruddell was elected Goulburn Mulwaree deputy mayor at Tuesday night's meeting. He will support Mayor Peter Walker in the role. Picture by Louise Thrower. Cr Steve Ruddell was elected Goulburn Mulwaree deputy mayor at Tuesday night's meeting. He will support Mayor Peter Walker in the role. Picture by Louise Thrower.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/FkT3ZusFw5YrTvZCipmLUF/821dc6a2-7a0c-46ba-b8d6-cd236b58353e.JPG/r0_162_4288_2697_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Cr Steve Ruddell has been elected Goulburn Mulwaree's deputy mayor.
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The councillor of the past nine months triumphed against the only other contender, Cr Dan Strickland, at Tuesday night's meeting.
Cr Ruddell thanked his colleagues for their support and said he looked forward to the challenges ahead.
"I'm pretty happy with that," he later told The Post.
"I had my hand up last time but I feel now that I've got more experience under my belt. I'm looking forward to supporting the mayor, the councillors and most of all, representing the community," he said.
The election, by ordinary ballot came after a January decision not to elect a deputy mayor, but rather share the role around according to councillors' individual skills. This was despite Crs Ruddell and Carol James' earlier intention to stand for the position.
That all changed on Tuesday. Cr Ruddell said CEO Aaron Johannson had undertaken research that showed Goulburn Mulwaree was one of few NSW councils not to have a deputy mayor. But there were also legal implications; if something happened to the mayor, the council had to have a nominated person to fulfil the role.
Both nominees made their pitch to colleagues before the vote. Cr Strickland said he was used to leadership roles as a senior manager with Mission Australia for the past 20 years. In addition, he was involved in numerous council and community committees and had the work flexibility to fulfil the position.
"I love getting out and connecting with the community," he said.
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Cr Ruddell, a driving instructor, said he had adjusted his work schedule to undertake more council activities. He too was a member of numerous council committees, had attended all outreach meetings and a plethora of community events.
![Cr Steve Ruddell was presented with his deputy mayoral chains at Tuesday night's meeting, following the election. Picture by Louise Thrower. Cr Steve Ruddell was presented with his deputy mayoral chains at Tuesday night's meeting, following the election. Picture by Louise Thrower.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/FkT3ZusFw5YrTvZCipmLUF/c0fb3d7d-b0b7-454b-9fd6-db3fb7201894.JPG/r305_0_4031_2801_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
He said the past nine months had been something of a learning curve.
"I think it's (also) been a productive time," he said.
"It can be frustrating at times but I find that if you chip away, you can get results. The main thing is to get results for the community."
Cr Ruddell was particularly pleased with formation of the Goulburn entertainment and evening economy working party. It is aimed at generating nighttime activity in the CBD, under special precinct laws that also consider noise.
He is also trying to move several projects forward with the Goulburn Chamber of Commerce.
"The next 12 months is pretty much about keeping the status quo but we also need to fix up rural roads after all the rain," Cr Ruddell said.
"While we're not taking on a lot of big projects, it would be nice to see a new community centre up and running and to know that by the end of this term, we've achieved things."
He ruled out standing for the mayor's position any time soon, saying he needed more experience.
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