New councillor declared for West Wimmera Shire

Published on 10 October 2023

Kaniva’s Richard Hicks has been declared elected as West Wimmera Shire Council’s newest councillor.

Mr Hicks will fill the vacancy left by the resignation of former councillor Trevor Domaschenz.

Mr Hicks was elected through a modified countback process, as advised by the Victorian Electoral Commission at 3.30pm on 9 October, 2023.

The modified countback process, initiated in accordance with the guidelines set forth by the Victorian Electoral Commission, determined Mr Hicks as the only remaining eligible candidate from the general election held in October 2020.

Mr Hicks previously served on the West Wimmera Shire Council from 2016 to 2020.

He will officially commence his term as a councillor once he has taken the oath on Wednesday, 18 October 2023.

Mayor Tim Meyer welcomed Mr Hicks’ return to the Council, stating:

"We welcome Mr Hicks back to the West Wimmera Shire Council,” he said.

“We believe in the power of collective decision making, so it is good to have five councillors back on board, this contributes to our ongoing efforts to serve our residents."

Election Manager Roger Millar said the Victorian Electoral Commission invited Mr Hicks to declare he was still qualified to be a councillor in writing.

“As Mr Hicks returned the declaration within the required 14-day timeframe, he has been declared elected,” he said.