Steven Lewis elected Waverley’s new mayor

Independent councillor Steven Lewis has been elected mayor of Waverley, succeeding Will Nemesh, who did not seek a further term at Tuesday night’s mid-term election.

The contest between Lewis and Liberal Katherine Westwood was tied and decided by a random draw, J-Wire reported. Labor’s Keri Spooner retained the deputy mayoralty.

Nemesh, a Liberal, led the council through the Bondi Beach Chanukah terror attack in December, in which 15 people were murdered.

“Over the past two years, Waverley has faced unprecedented challenges and achieved transformational progress — from leading our community through the Bondi attack and strengthening social cohesion, to delivering the Bondi Junction Master Plan, expanding affordable housing, investing record amounts in capital works, and bringing vibrancy back to our public spaces,” he said in a statement.

“I leave this role proud of what we have achieved together and confident in Waverley’s future.”