NEWLY elected Tweed Shire Mayor Gary Bagnall has asked for support, not criticism, from local residents as the council embarks on a new era under his leadership.

The South Murwillumbah resident, from the dominant progressive faction, was voted 4-3 into the job after outgoing mayor Barry Longland did not recontest the position on Thursday night.

Cr Longland told the Tweed Daily News yesterday that with the other six councillors publicly declaring their support for either Cr Bagnall or Warren Polglase, "that made it very difficult for me to garner the support that I would have needed to continue in the mayor's position and it was for that reason that I was not a candidate".

The surprise was Cr Phil Youngblutt, from the conservative faction, getting up as deputy mayor over the incumbent, Cr Michael Armstrong, due to Cr Longland's support.

Cr Longland said he backed Cr Youngblutt because "it was clear that my colleagues wanted a new-look leadership".

Mayor Bagnall said he was honoured to hold the position.

"May I encourage the residents of the Tweed to work with us, and share with us your concerns and ideas for improvement and not work against us," he said. He told the media that his mayoralty style would be consistent with his track record as a councillor, "at the forefront of policy changes and getting new policies into council".

The Vote: Who voted for whom?

Outgoing mayor Barry Longland and Crs Katie Milne and Michael Armstrong voted for Gary Bagnall, while Crs Carolyn Byrne and Phil Youngblutt backed conservative Cr Warren Polglase.

In the deputy mayoralty race, Cr Longland voted for conservative Cr Phil Youngblutt over former deputy mayor Cr Armstrong, as did Phil's fellow conservatives Crs Byrne and Polglase.

'A visionary' and the end of an era

MAYOR Gary Bagnall's wife of 27 years, Linley, says her husband is a man of vision who is passionate about local government.

"He cares about the small person, the average person," the mother of two sons said.

Meanwhile, outgoing mayor, Barry Longland, is contemplating life with a lot more time on his hands after enthusiastically officiating at various community events over the past three years.

"For me now, it will be an opportunity to spend more time with my grandchildren, getting more work done on my Uki property and attending to some of the relationships that have suffered during my three years as the mayor," Cr Longland said.

"Obviously, I feel some disappointment at not being able to continue with the work I have been involved with like the Rail Trail and my presidency at NOROC as we move into a new era of regional co-operation with the Fit for the Future reform package," he said.

"However, this is not about people or personalities but the good of the shire and I celebrate the robust democracy that we enjoy.

"It has been a wonderful privilege to serve the people of the Tweed over those years and I thank them for the opportunity."

           Fun facts about Gary

• He grew up in a Liberal family on the North Shore of Sydney.
• He has two cousins who are Liberal mayors in Sydney and Queensland.
• The South M'bah resident runs the busy New Leaf Cafe.
• He has been a vegetarian for 35 years.