Shellharbour councillor Marianne Saliba will serve as mayor for a third year after Labor councillor John Murray abandoned his South Pacific cruise to ensure his colleague was re-elected on Tuesday night.
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Cr Murray's expected absence from the extraordinary meeting had created the possibility that Shellharbour's next mayor could be drawn from a hat, with a three-all vote predicted based on current voting patterns.
However Cr Murray's surprise dash from Fiji ensured Cr Saliba was presented with the mayoral chains for a third year in a row with Cr Saliba elected four votes to three over independent councillor Peter Moran.
Cr Murray's presence also ensured ex-Liberal councillor Paul Rankin was re-elected Shellharbour's deputy mayor, winning the vote 4-3 over independent councillor Helen Stewart.
Cr Murray said when he and his wife booked their holiday the mayoral vote didn't come into consideration.
"Ï was resigned to the fact that that missing the vote was how it would be," Cr Murray said.
"But last week, while we were travelling my wife and I discussed the fact the mayoral vote could be a draw from a hat and that could lead to some outcomes that we didn't want.
"So my wife and I decided that when we got to Fiji on Saturday, if it was possible to get off the ship and organise a plane ticket and fly home then I would
"My wife will stay on the cruise with friends and I will pick her up on Friday ... she is in New Caledonia now."
Cr Murray said it was hard to get a flight and conceded the ticket wasn't cheap.
"The travel agents had to find a cancellation and fit me on a plane, it is school holidays so the plane was chockers.
"But given the opportunity to change plans to get here it was too important not too.
"If it was just an ordinary council meeting you can miss the odd meeting, but the election of mayor and committees sets the tone for the year ahead - it is a little more important than the average meeting."
Cr Murray said he caught the flight home late Saturday and "laid low" since then.
Cr Murray said it was the right decision to abandon ship.
''It is good governance,'' Cr Murray said.
"Marianne is doing a good job and this year it will be important we have that continuity in place."
LIberal councillor and former mayor Kellie Marsh said she was not surprised by Cr Murray's presence.
"Ünfortunately it is just another example of the lies, deception and games played by the ALP,'' Cr Marsh said.
"I am happy to work with anyone in this community, unfortunately our mayor can't work with all councillors.''
Cr Helen Stewart, who was on Shellharbour council when it was sacked in 2008, said the current council had become a "carbon copy" of the one dismissed for being dysfunctional.
Whether the current council would see out the next two years ''önly time will tell", Cr Stewart said.
"I think Marianne got a wake-up call tonight, she needs to do some soul searching."
Cr Saliba said she only found out Cr Murray would be at the meeting when he called her on Monday.
"I am happy to work with all colleagues in the future ... there are some good things happening
"I am sure we can work as a team. ... it just takes a while for the emotions to settle down after a night like this."
The mayoral vote took place just before 11pm in front of around 20 people in the public gallery, who had been forced wait outside between 9.45pm and 10.30pm as councillors discussed confidential information regarding the Shellharbour City Hub project.
