Maitland and Port Stephens councils have named their deputy mayors, with Port Stephens naming four councillors to serve in the role over the next four years.
Councillors Jason Wells will be the first to hold the title of Port Stephens deputy mayor, before handing it to independent Cr Chris Doohan after 12 months.
He will be followed by Liberal Cr Nathan Errington in 2026 and Labor's Giacomo Arnott for 2027.
Recently-elected Port Stephens mayor Leah Anderson said she was looking forward to leading the new-look council, which featured four new faces.
"I know they're ready to hit the ground running and deliver on their priorities," Cr Anderson said.
"It's really exciting and we're really blessed because we've got some experienced councillors that are returning and new councillors who will bring with them fresh ideas," she said.
Maitland councillor Bill Hackney has been elected as the city's new deputy mayor and will serve in the role for the next 12 months.
He and Labor councillor Ben Whiting, were the only two councillors to contest the position at Tuesday night's Maitland City Council meeting, with Cr Hackney winning nine votes to three.
"I would like to thank my fellow councillors who supported my nomination," Cr Hackney said.
"This is a position that's highly respected and I will do my best to honour and respect the role and deliver for the people of Maitland."
Cr Hackney thanked Cr Whiting saying he would have made a great deputy mayor.
"There's still another three years to go," Cr Hackney said.
