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.”

Under Nemesh, Waverley adopted Australia’s first local government strategy to combat antisemitism, later launching a national model strategy, and last month established a committee to deliver a permanent memorial at Bondi Beach.

Lewis, a lawyer, was first elected in 2017, serving two terms as a Labor councillor before winning re-election as an independent in 2024.

He seconded Nemesh’s October 2023 motion condemning the Hamas attacks and supported the council’s adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism in 2021.

Lewis has previously been involved in the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies,

He told The AJN during the 2024 campaign that he saw council service as an extension of his community work. “It’s a good way in which we can combine both the Jewish community and the general community and bring them together to achieve an outcome which is best for everyone,” he said.