Mayor & councillors
Mornington Peninsula has 11 wards, each with one councillor, elected in October 2024 for the 2024–2028 term. One seat, Briars Ward, is vacant. Anthony Marsh resigned in May 2026 after he was elected to the Victorian Parliament, and the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) is running a by-election for the seat. Voters don't elect the Mayor directly: the councillors choose one of themselves.
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.
Who represents you
- Mayor
- Cr Stephen Batty (Kackeraboite Ward)Elected Mayor by the councillors in June 2026 (Shire announcement of 16 June 2026), after the resignation of the previous Mayor, Cr Anthony Marsh.
- Deputy Mayor
- Cr Paul Pingiaro (Tanti Ward)Deputy Mayor since November 2024, re-elected in November 2025. He was Acting Mayor between Cr Marsh's resignation and Cr Batty's election.
- Councillors
- 10 in office, 1 vacancy (Briars Ward)Matches the VEC's list of current councillors and the Shire's councillors page (checked Sep 2026).
- Briars Ward by-election
- Postal voting closes 6pm Friday 2 October 2026; counting from Saturday 3 OctoberTwo candidates are listed by the VEC, in ballot-paper order: Sue Ellison-Whyte and Christine Leahy. The VEC will declare the result. This page will be updated when it does.VEC by-election page →
- Next mayoral election
- Not yet publishedThe Shire's 2026 meeting-dates page doesn't list its next Annual Meeting. In 2024 and 2025 the councillors elected the Mayor at an Annual Meeting in November.
Your representatives
Stephen Batty
Mayor / Councillor · Kackeraboite Ward
Paul Pingiaro
Deputy Mayor / Councillor · Tanti Ward
Kate Roper
Councillor · Beek Beek Ward
Max Patton
Councillor · Benbenjie Ward
Patrick Binyon
Councillor · Brokil Ward
David Gill
Councillor · Coolart Ward
Bruce Ranken
Councillor · Moorooduc Ward
Andrea Allen
Councillor · Nepean Ward
Cam Williams
Councillor · Tootgarook Ward
Michael Stephens
Councillor · Warringine Ward
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 official profiles, and link to the election results. Briars Ward has no councillor until the by-election result is declared; the Shire's page for the vacancy lists the Mayor as the contact in the meantime. In a single-councillor ward, a vacancy with more than 6 months of the term left is filled by a by-election, not a countback. For the latest list, see the council's page or the VEC.
Sources — check it yourself
- Mornington Peninsula Shire — Our Councillors · Sep 2026
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Mornington Peninsula Shire Council (current councillors) · Sep 2026
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Briars Ward by-election · Sep 2026
- Victorian Electoral Commission — Briars Ward by-election candidates · Sep 2026
- Mornington Peninsula Shire — Council elections (Briars Ward by-election key dates) · Sep 2026
- Mornington Peninsula Shire — Cr Stephen Batty elected Mayor (16 Jun 2026) · Jun 2026
- Mornington Peninsula Shire — Mayor Cr Anthony Marsh resigns following election to State Parliament (14 May 2026) · May 2026
- Mornington Peninsula Shire — Continuity of Mayor and Deputy Mayor at the Shire (20 Nov 2025) · Nov 2025
- Mornington Peninsula Shire — Meeting dates 2026 · Sep 2026
- Victorian Electoral Commission — 2024 Mornington Peninsula Shire Council election results · Nov 2024
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.