While Christmas is around the corner, all was not calm and quiet in Mansfield Shire’s council chambers last week.

The mayoral election passed without fuss.

The deputy mayor vote and a brief clash over climate data suggested councillors weren’t quite ready to start decking the halls.

Cr Steve Rabie was returned for a third consecutive term as mayor at the 25 November meeting, accepting the nomination without opposition.

“I am glad to accept the trust that you have placed in me for another year,” he said.

“We will just keep going, serving our community with a keen eye on the finances, making sure we get the best bang for our buck.”

The deputy mayor vote was less tidy.

Cr Mandy Treasure nominated Cr James Tehan.

Cr Rabie seconded.

But before Cr Rabie moved to declare it carried, Cr Bonnie Clark raised a point of order, reminding the chamber that a formal vote must be taken.

When the vote proceeded, Cr Treasure, Cr Tim Berenyi and Cr Rabie supported Cr Tehan’s return as deputy mayor.

Cr Clark did not support the nomination, but the motion was carried.

Speaking after the meeting, Cr Clark said her stance reflected a belief in shared responsibility and the need to widen leadership opportunities within council.

“I genuinely believe in giving people the opportunity to grow,” she said.

“The mayor and deputy mayor have held leadership positions for several years, and I felt it was important to give other councillors the chance to step up and bring fresh perspectives.

“Leadership roles come with specialised training and experiences that are valuable for newer councillors.

“It’s not about personalities — it’s about fairness and what best serves our community.”

The meeting had already shown that councillors bring different personalities and perspectives to the table.

During an earlier discussion on climate data, councillors heard a summary of the Goulburn Murray Climate Alliance report, usually circulated several days before the public meeting, with Cr Berenyi noting, “of my 31 years, 25 of those have been the driest years on record” and "in the last 10 years, each year has been the hottest year on record."

Cr Tehan interjected, questioning the figures and the source.

“I just suggest that before you do statistics like that, you do your research,” he said.

“I went back and looked at the 150-year rainfall of Mansfield Shire through the BoM.

"In fact, it’s only seven of those years are the driest on record of the last 31.”

Cr Berenyi replied the statistic came from national CSIRO data and referred to Australian conditions more broadly.

“This was for the entire country, not just for our shire," he said.

"We live on one continent that is all connected.”

Cr Tehan maintained his point, saying he raised the issue to keep the figures accurate and focused on this region.

Far from a silent night — or silent opening, at least — planning matters followed, though the tone suggested some soothing carols might be in order when councillors return for the final meeting of the year.