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Councillor David Pettman has confirmed he will also stand for the position of Ararat mayor on Tuesday.
Earlier:
ARARAT Mayor Peter Beales has endorsed his deputy, Jo Armstrong, as the municipality's next leader.
Cr Beales says he will not nominate for mayor at the council's statutory meeting on Tuesday night. He says he will back Cr Armstrong, who was elected to council in 2016 and stood for the upper house with the Nationals in the 2018 Victorian elections.
However, the job is not in the bag as Councillor Gwenda Allgood - who has held the role several times before - has revealed she will also put her hand up.
The council will hold a statutory meeting at the Council Chamber Shire Hall to vote in a new mayor on Tuesday October 29 at 6pm.
"At the last council meeting I announced I wouldn't stand again," Cr Beales said.
Although Cr Beales has served four terms as mayor at other councils, this will be his only term at Ararat.
Cr Beales was elected to council in 2016.
He also said there had been no discussion among councillors as to who would run this time.
"I don't know if anyone is going to nominate anyone else," he said.
"I would have nominated Jo last year but she stood for state parliament. That wouldn't have barred her from being mayor but she took leave while she ran for parliament ... and said she wouldn't stand."
Cr Beales said there was always a possibility that someone would nominate "at the last minute."
Cr Allgood said it was not certain she would continue with the council after the 2020 elections and it would be great to end her time on council as mayor.
"I haven't talked it over with anyone as yet," she said.
"I've got 35 years (of council service) up and it would be nice to go out on a high.
"I'll have to talk to the family and I might consider putting my hand up too. I've really enjoyed doing what I've done over the past and with the election next year I don't know whether I'll be there or not."
Cr Armstrong was unavailable for comment, as were councillors Bill Braithewaite and David Pettman.
However, Cr Faye Hull said she had confidence in Cr Armstrong.
"I have very high regard for Jo," she said. "I think she's an experienced person and we do need a change of generation.
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"I realise that she would have stood last year except for the fact she was nominating for the upper house, and I think that she would be a very good mayor; however, should someone else put their hand up I would have to consider that at the time."
Cr Frank Deutsch said he will not put his hand up for the role.
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