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Mayor & councillors

Mayor & councillors

Cowra is an undivided (single-ward) council: its nine councillors are elected across the whole local government area by proportional representation rather than by ward. The councillors elect the Mayor and Deputy Mayor from among themselves (Cowra does not have a popularly elected mayor). At the September 2024 election only eight candidates nominated for the nine vacancies, so all eight were declared elected unopposed; the ninth seat was filled by a contested by-election on 23 November 2024. Below is who currently holds office, with links to their official profiles.

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.
NSW Electoral Commission (NSWEC)
Runs council elections and publishes the official results.
See the full explainer, with formulas →
Mayor
Cr Paul Smith (Independent)Elected Mayor by the councillors on 30 September 2024, for a two-year mayoral term (to September 2026).
Deputy Mayor
Cr Nikki Kiss OAM (Independent)Elected Deputy Mayor by the councillors on 30 September 2024, for the same two-year term.
Councillors
9 total — undivided (single ward)
How the Mayor is chosen
Elected by the councillors (not by popular vote)
9th seat by-election
Karren Cave (Independent) — declared 10 December 2024The September 2024 general election was uncontested (8 nominations for 9 seats); the 9th vacancy went to a contested by-election held 23 November 2024.

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.

We list who's in office and link to their official profiles; we don't characterise anyone's politics. Party labels are those each councillor was elected under at the September 2024 election (or the November 2024 by-election for the 9th seat) — 'Independent Labor' and 'Independent National' are ballot-paper descriptions some candidates registered alongside 'Independent', not formal party endorsements; we report them as recorded rather than inferring anyone's affiliation. A council's makeup can change between elections through casual vacancies, so the council's official page has the most current list.

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.