← Benalla Rural City Council
Mayor & councillors

Mayor & councillors

Benalla Rural City is unsubdivided: there are no wards, and all seven councillors are elected by the whole municipality, by proportional representation, at the four-yearly Victorian council elections (last held in October 2024). The councillors elect the Mayor and Deputy Mayor from among themselves; the current Mayor and Deputy Mayor were elected on 19 November 2025 for 12 months.

New to these terms? Read them in plain English
How the mayor is chosen
Either elected directly by voters, or chosen by the councillors.
Ward
A subdivision of a council area that elects its own councillors.
Local Government Area (LGA)
The official area a council governs.
See the full explainer, with formulas →

Who represents you

Mayor
Cr Bernie HearnReturned as Mayor at the council meeting on Wednesday 19 November 2025, for 12 months. The council says it is her fourth term as Mayor: she was Mayor from November 2021 to November 2023 and again from November 2024. First elected in 2016; re-elected in 2020 and 2024.Council announcement →
Deputy Mayor
Cr Justin KingRe-elected Deputy Mayor on 19 November 2025 for 12 months; the council says it is his fourth consecutive year in the role. He was Mayor from 2014 to 2016.
Councillors
7 in office, no vacanciesAs listed by the council and by the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC), checked Sep 2026.
Change since the 2024 election
Cr Vince Branigan replaced Cr Nathan Tolliday (December 2025)Cr Tolliday resigned on 29 October 2025 after taking a role as an electorate officer, which under the Local Government Act 2020 disqualifies a person from being a councillor. The vacancy was filled by a VEC countback of the 2024 votes on 3 December 2025, and Cr Branigan was sworn in on 17 December 2025.VEC countback result →
Next mayoral election
Due in November 2026 (12-month term)The council's published 2026 meeting list includes a Council Meeting on Wednesday 18 November 2026; it doesn't say whether the Mayor will be elected at that meeting (checked Sep 2026).Council meetings →
Invite the Mayor or councillors
Executive Coordinator — 03 5760 2630Invitations and enquiries for the Mayor and councillors go to tracey.beaton@benalla.vic.gov.au, according to the council's councillors page.Councillor Information →

Your representatives

Want to raise something? Contacting your ward councillor or the mayor is one of the most direct ways to be heard between elections.

Victorian council ballot papers and results don't show party affiliation, so we don't label councillors. We list who holds office, with their council email addresses, and link to the council's councillors page (which also gives each councillor's phone number and committees) and to the election results. The council's page and the VEC's current-councillor list name the same seven people. Because the council is unsubdivided, a vacancy is normally filled by a countback of the last election's votes rather than a by-election. For the latest list, see the council's page or the VEC.

Sources — check it yourself

Figures are current as at the dates shown and may change — always confirm with the linked source. See the notice at the bottom of the page for full details and how to report a correction.