← Colac Otway Shire Council
Mayor & councillors

Mayor & councillors

Colac Otway has no wards: all 7 councillors represent the whole shire. They were elected in October 2024 for the 2024–2028 term. Voters don't elect the Mayor directly; the councillors choose one of themselves. On 18 November 2025 they elected Cr Jason Schram as Mayor for the next year of the council term, and Cr Phil Howard as Deputy Mayor for one year.

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 Jason SchramElected Mayor at the council meeting of 18 November 2025 'for the next year of the Council term' (confirmed minutes).Meeting papers →
Deputy Mayor
Cr Phil HowardAt the same meeting the council set up the office of Deputy Mayor for 1 year and elected Cr Howard, the only nominee.
Councillors
7, elected shire-wideMatches the Victorian Electoral Commission's list of current councillors (checked Sep 2026).
Next mayoral election
Tuesday 17 November 2026Listed in the council's 2026 meeting dates as 'Council Meeting – Mayoral Election', 1pm. This page will be updated after the vote.2026 meeting dates →
Changes since the 2024 election
NoneThe VEC lists no countback or by-election for Colac Otway since the 2024 election (checked Sep 2026).VEC council page →

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 election results. Colac Otway is unsubdivided, so if a seat falls vacant it is normally filled by a countback of the 2024 votes, run by the VEC. Invitations to the Mayor and councillors go to the council's Council Business Team; general enquiries to inq@colacotway.vic.gov.au.

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.