Bob Crouch voted in as Uralla Shire Council deputy mayor, taking Isabel Strutt's place

At its ordinary council meeting last week, councillors voted to return Cr Crouch to the position for the sixth time, replacing Cr Isabel Strutt. They both put their hand up for the role, alongside Cr Natasha Ledger.

While a three-person showdown seems dramatic, the new deputy said it was actually a common theme in Uralla.

"The deputy mayor position is elected each year, I stood last time and I lost on a draw from a hat," he said.

"There's a degree of luck and strategy, there's three of us that have stood for the last three times."

Having been second-in-command for more than half a decade in total, Cr Crouch certainly knows a thing or two about the position.

He said while it comes with its challenges it's ultimately a position he enjoys, and he feels it's easier to make genuine change from a role with more authority.

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"The deputy mayor has a key role to play within council, it's often in a position of being a conduit between the mayor and other councillors," he said.

"It has a slightly closer role with the general manager than other councillors do."

Of course it will be a different situation to normal this time around with the term only lasting for a matter of months before the local government elections take place on December 4.

Cr Crouch will again be putting his hand up for role then, meaning he could be voted in as deputy for a seventh time.

All of his time as deputy has been spent under mayor Michael Pearce, although that could change in December with fellow councillor Robert Bell nominating for the top job.

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