Mornington Peninsula Shire Council has welcomed Christine Leahy as the new councillor for Briars Ward following her swearing in today (14 October).
The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) officially declared Leahy elected following completion of the count for the 2026 Briars Ward by-election.
Leahy attracted 64.17% of the vote in the two candidate contest against Sue Ellison-Whyte.
The Mornington Peninsula Shire Briars Ward by-election was the result of a trickle-down of events first started by the resignation of the state Member for Nepean, Sam Groth, in February (“Groth resignation to trigger Nepean by-election“, The News, 4/2/26).
A state by-election was called and the Briars Ward councillor and mayor at the time, Anthony Marsh, was pre-selected as the Liberal candidate (“Marsh wins Liberal preselection battle“, The News, 24/2/26).
Marsh’s win in the Nepean by-election on 2 May resulted in his resignation from his role as Briars Ward councillor on 14 May, triggering the Briars Ward by-election (“Anthony Marsh resigns from council following state election win“, The News, 14/5/26).
The VEC mailed ballots to eligible voters from Monday 14 September, and the poll closed on Friday 2 October.
Leahy was formally sworn in as a councillor in the Rosebud Council Chamber before the shire’s CEO Mark Stoermer, and will serve the remainder of the current council term which concludes in October 2028.
Mayor Cr Stephen Batty welcomed the new Briars Ward councillor.
“On behalf of Council, I warmly welcome Cr Leahy. I look forward to working together to deliver in the best interests of the Briars Ward and the wider Mornington Peninsula community,” said Batty.
Leahy said it was an honour to be elected to represent the Briars Ward community.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Briars Ward. I look forward to listening to the community, representing its priorities and contributing constructively to Council,” said Leahy.
