> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://nationalgazette.ghost.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Secret ballot delivers cross-faction leadership change at troubled NSW council - URL: https://nationalgazette.ghost.io/secret-ballot-delivers-cross-faction-leadership-change-at-troubled-nsw-council/ - Published: 2026-09-08T12:33:10.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-08T12:52:35.000Z - Author: Rosh Dsouza **A secret ballot has produced an unexpected cross-faction leadership combination at Hawkesbury City Council, with Mary Lyons-Buckett elected Mayor and independent councillor Nathan Zamprogno becoming her deputy after a period of significant internal turmoil at the western Sydney council.** Cr Lyons-Buckett defeated outgoing Mayor Les Sheather eight votes to four at Council’s September 8 meeting, securing considerably more support than the political grouping previously associated with her. Cr Zamprogno later emerged from a four-candidate contest for Deputy Mayor, increasing his support from six votes in the first round to eight in the second before his remaining opponent withdrew. The result is significant because neither successful candidate appears to have had enough support within their established political grouping to achieve those numbers alone. It means councillors crossed previously understood political lines to determine who will lead the Hawkesbury until the NSW local government elections in September 2028. ## Secret ballot obscures political realignment All 12 councillors attended the meeting. Before electing the Mayor, councillors first decided whether the community would be able to see how they voted. Eight councillors supported the use of an ordinary secret ballot: Nathan Zamprogno, Mary Lyons-Buckett, Peter Ryan, Eddie Dogramaci, Les Sheather, Sarah McMahon, Amanda Kotlash and Shane Djuric. Danielle Wheeler, Paul Veigel, Jill Reardon and Mike Creed opposed the move. The result meant residents could see the final numbers, but not which councillor supported which candidate. That distinction became particularly important once the votes were counted. Before the meeting, Cr Lyons-Buckett appeared to have the support of a grouping that included then Deputy Mayor Sarah McMahon and Crs Amanda Kotlash, Danielle Wheeler and Peter Ryan. On those numbers, she began with an apparent bloc of five. Another grouping involving Crs Mike Creed, Eddie Dogramaci, Shane Djuric and Nathan Zamprogno potentially accounted for four votes, while Crs Sheather, Reardon and Veigel appeared capable of determining the outcome. Cr Lyons-Buckett ultimately received eight votes. The ballot therefore revealed a substantial political realignment without revealing who was responsible for it. ## An unusual leadership pairing Cr Lyons-Buckett leads the People Not Parties group and has previously served as both Mayor and Deputy Mayor. She was Mayor from 2016 to 2018 and Deputy Mayor between 2018 and 2021. Cr Zamprogno followed a different political path. He was elected to Hawkesbury City Council as an independent after failing to receive Liberal endorsement ahead of the 2024 local government election. Their elevation to the two most senior political positions at Council suggests the formation of a broader working arrangement extending beyond established tickets and factions. Whether that cooperation develops into a stable governing majority will now become one of the central questions facing the council. ## Deputy contest confirms broader support The cross-faction pattern became more apparent during the election for Deputy Mayor. Four candidates nominated: Crs Zamprogno, Mike Creed, Les Sheather and Amanda Kotlash. Councillors again opted for a secret ballot, this time by nine votes to three. Cr Zamprogno received six votes in the first round, with Cr Creed receiving four and Crs Kotlash and Sheather receiving one each. A draw was required to resolve the tie for last place, resulting in Cr Sheather's elimination. In the second ballot, Cr Zamprogno increased his support to eight votes. Cr Creed received three and Cr Kotlash one. After Cr Kotlash was eliminated, Cr Creed withdrew rather than proceed to a final ballot, acknowledging that the result was evident and congratulating Cr Zamprogno. The Deputy Mayor therefore entered office having demonstrated a similar breadth of support to the new Mayor. ## Lyons-Buckett calls for cooperation After taking the mayoral chair, Cr Lyons-Buckett acknowledged the service of outgoing Mayor Les Sheather and former Deputy Mayor Sarah McMahon. She told councillors she hoped the chamber could work together in the interests of the Hawkesbury. > “I hope that we can all work to achieve that,” she said. That call for cooperation carries particular weight given the circumstances in which the new leadership takes office. ## Leadership change follows turbulent period Hawkesbury City Council has experienced months of controversy involving its senior administration, relations between councillors and its dealings with local media. Earlier this year, Council accepted the resignation of former General Manager Elizabeth Richardson and approved a confidential separation payment understood to be approximately $340,000. She commenced employment with the NSW Office of Sport about two weeks later. Council subsequently banned the Hawkesbury Gazette and Hawkesbury Radio from Council premises for media purposes. Council maintained that the restriction arose from workplace health and safety concerns. The Gazette has disputed the basis for the decision, and the restriction against the newspaper remains in place. Internal tensions also became public when Cr Mike Creed spoke at a May council meeting about alleged councillor-on-councillor bullying and its impact on his mental health. The matter was subsequently referred to SafeWork NSW. No findings have been made against any individual councillor. Council later appointed Will Barton as permanent General Manager following a lengthy closed meeting. Questions were also raised about promotional material in which Mr Barton appeared during the recruitment period while he was a candidate for the permanent position and while Council staff and resources had been involved in producing the material. ## A test of whether the chamber can reset The Hawkesbury result therefore represents more than a routine mid-term mayoral election. Secret voting has produced a leadership team whose support appears to extend across political divisions that have shaped the council since the 2024 election. But the secrecy of the ballot also means the public cannot know whether the result represents a lasting realignment, a temporary accommodation between councillors or simply individual decisions made for two leadership contests. Cr Lyons-Buckett now faces the task of converting eight confidential votes into visible cooperation around the council table. For a council emerging from months of disputes over governance, workplace relations, political conflict and media access, that may prove more consequential than the leadership ballot itself.**A secret ballot has produced an unexpected leadership combination at Hawkesbury City Council, with Mary Lyons-Buckett elected Mayor and independent councillor Nathan Zamprogno becoming her deputy after a turbulent period at the western Sydney council.** Cr Lyons-Buckett defeated outgoing Mayor Les Sheather by eight votes to four at Council’s September 8 ordinary meeting, returning to the mayoral chair eight years after completing her previous term. Cr Zamprogno was subsequently elected Deputy Mayor after emerging from a four-candidate contest in which his support increased from six votes in the first round to eight in the second. The vote totals indicate that both successful candidates attracted support beyond any single previously reported political bloc, although the use of secret ballots makes it impossible to determine which councillors provided that support. The new Mayor and Deputy Mayor will serve until the next NSW local government elections in September 2028. ## Councillors choose secrecy All 12 Hawkesbury councillors were present for the leadership elections. Before choosing the Mayor, councillors first determined how the election itself would be conducted. With more than one candidate nominated, Council could use open voting, an ordinary ballot or a preferential ballot. Both ballot methods are conducted secretly. Councillors voted eight to four in favour of an ordinary secret ballot. Crs Nathan Zamprogno, Mary Lyons-Buckett, Peter Ryan, Eddie Dogramaci, Les Sheather, Sarah McMahon, Amanda Kotlash and Shane Djuric supported a secret vote. Crs Danielle Wheeler, Paul Veigel, Jill Reardon and Mike Creed opposed it. The question of secrecy had generated public debate before the meeting, with competing arguments about transparency and the ability of councillors to exercise their judgement without political or personal pressure. Cr Dogramaci had publicly supported a secret ballot on the basis that councillors should be free to vote according to their judgement without fear of repercussions. The leadership election also occurred against the backdrop of unresolved councillor-on-councillor bullying allegations that have been referred to SafeWork NSW. No findings have been made against any individual councillor. ## Lyons-Buckett wins eight votes to four Following the withdrawal of another nomination, the mayoral contest came down to Cr Lyons-Buckett and Cr Sheather. Councillors were instructed to place an X beside their preferred candidate. The ballots were opened and counted in the chamber, but individual votes were not disclosed. Cr Lyons-Buckett received eight votes and Cr Sheather four. General Manager Will Barton, acting as returning officer, declared Cr Lyons-Buckett elected Mayor for the September 2026 to September 2028 term. The size of the victory was notable. Pre-meeting reporting by the Hawkesbury Gazette had identified a prospective grouping around Cr Lyons-Buckett and then Deputy Mayor Sarah McMahon that also included Crs Amanda Kotlash, Danielle Wheeler and Peter Ryan. That represented five potential votes. The same reporting identified another potential grouping involving Crs Mike Creed, Eddie Dogramaci, Shane Djuric and Nathan Zamprogno, while Crs Sheather, Jill Reardon and Paul Veigel appeared capable of influencing the final outcome. Cr Lyons-Buckett ultimately secured eight votes. The result therefore suggests support shifted beyond the alignments reported before the meeting, but the secret ballot makes it impossible to determine precisely how the numbers were assembled. ## An unusual leadership pairing Cr Lyons-Buckett leads the People Not Parties group and has considerable previous experience in Council’s senior political positions. She served as Mayor from 2016 to 2018 and as Deputy Mayor between 2018 and 2021. Cr Zamprogno followed a different political path. He was elected to Council as an independent after failing to receive Liberal endorsement ahead of the 2024 local government election. The vote totals for the two successful candidates suggest support extending beyond their respective established political alignments. Whether that support develops into a stable working relationship across the chamber will be one of the early tests of the new leadership. ## Lyons-Buckett calls for cooperation After taking the mayoral chair, Cr Lyons-Buckett thanked her colleagues for placing their confidence in her. She also acknowledged Cr Sheather’s two years as Mayor and Cr McMahon’s service as Deputy Mayor. Cr Lyons-Buckett said Council had achieved much during their terms and expressed hope that councillors could now work together in the interests of the Hawkesbury. > “I hope that we can all work to achieve that,” she said before moving Council to the deputy mayoral election. ## Four-way contest for Deputy Mayor The deputy mayoral election involved four candidates: Crs Mike Creed, Nathan Zamprogno, Les Sheather and Amanda Kotlash. Council again chose an ordinary secret ballot. This time, nine councillors supported secrecy, while Crs Wheeler, Veigel and Creed opposed it. Cr Reardon, who had voted against a secret ballot for the mayoral election, supported secrecy for the deputy mayoral contest. In the first round, Cr Zamprogno received six votes, Cr Creed four, and Crs Kotlash and Sheather one vote each. Because Cr Kotlash and Cr Sheather were tied for the lowest number of votes, a draw was conducted to determine which candidate would be excluded. Cr Sheather’s name was drawn, removing him from the contest. A second ballot was then held between Crs Zamprogno, Creed and Kotlash. Cr Zamprogno increased his support to eight votes, while Cr Creed received three and Cr Kotlash one. With Cr Kotlash eliminated, the contest was reduced to Cr Zamprogno and Cr Creed. Cr Creed then withdrew his nomination, saying the result was evident and congratulating Cr Zamprogno. A final ballot was therefore unnecessary. Cr Zamprogno was declared Deputy Mayor for the September 2026 to September 2028 term. ## Secret vote conceals how support was assembled The deputy mayoral result reinforced the broader pattern evident in the mayoral contest. Cr Zamprogno began with six votes and increased his support to eight in the second round. As with the mayoral election, the numbers indicate support extending beyond a single previously identified bloc. But because the ballots were secret, the public cannot know which councillors shifted their support between rounds or how the final coalition of votes was assembled. That creates an unusual political picture: the numerical strength of the new leadership is visible, while the political relationships underpinning it remain largely concealed. ## New leadership inherits a turbulent council The leadership change comes after a difficult period for Hawkesbury City Council involving senior administration, relations between councillors and a continuing dispute with local media organisations. Earlier this year, Council accepted the resignation of former General Manager Elizabeth Richardson and approved a confidential separation payment understood to be approximately $340,000. Council subsequently banned the Hawkesbury Gazette and Hawkesbury Radio from Council premises for media purposes. Council has maintained that the restriction arose from workplace health and safety concerns. The Hawkesbury Gazette has disputed Council’s stated basis for the decision. The restriction against the newspaper remains in place. Internal tensions also became public when Cr Mike Creed told a May council meeting that he had experienced councillor-on-councillor bullying and spoke about its effect on his mental health. The matter was subsequently referred to SafeWork NSW. No findings have been made against any individual councillor. Council later appointed Mr Barton as its permanent General Manager following a six-hour closed meeting. ## A test of whether the chamber can reset The Hawkesbury result represents more than a routine mid-term leadership election. The vote totals suggest both Cr Lyons-Buckett and Cr Zamprogno attracted support from councillors outside the political alignments previously associated with them. What remains unknown is whether those votes represent a lasting change in the council’s political relationships, a temporary accommodation for the leadership elections or a series of individual decisions made independently by councillors. The secrecy of the ballots means that question cannot be answered from the election results alone. Cr Lyons-Buckett now faces the challenge of converting the confidence expressed through eight confidential votes into visible cooperation around the council table. For a council emerging from months of political conflict, workplace allegations, administrative change and disputes over media access, the durability of that cooperation may ultimately prove more important than the ballot that produced it.