Unanimous support for CEO contract extension

Published on 07 July 2022

City of Launceston chief executive officer Michael Stretton has been reappointed for a further four years.

Launceston acting Mayor Danny Gibson said Councillors had unanimously supported the reappointment of Mr Stretton at a closed council meeting late last week.

“Michael has proven himself to be an exceptional leader and Council has unanimously supported the extension to his contract," Councillor Gibson said.

Mr Stretton was appointed as general manager to the City of Launceston in October 2017.

He began his career in local government in 1995 with the Sorell Council, followed by a five-year stint at the Glenorchy Council, followed by nine years at Central Coast before moving to Launceston in 2012 as Director Development Services. 

Then in 2014, he relocated to the North-West Coast, taking up the role of general manager at Waratah-Wynyard Council before returning to Launceston three years later.

Councillor Gibson said he was pleased to announce the reappointment of Mr Stretton, describing him as an accomplished leader who had overseen significant positive change in the organisation over the past four-and-a-half years.

"Under this guidance, the Council has flourished as an organisation and our workforce has continued to deliver high quality services for our community.

"Michael has also proven his ability to foster strong and meaningful relationships with a number of stakeholders across our community, particularly the leaders of our neighbouring councils, which is vitally important in that role."

Mr Stretton said he was delighted to be reappointed for another four years and he was extremely proud to lead such a high-performing organisation.

"Given the turbulence we've all experienced over the past two years with COVID, it has certainly been a rollercoaster ride as CEO of the largest Council in the state," Mr Stretton said. "That said, I was particularly proud of the way the Council was able to react to the impacts of the pandemic with the delivery of what was the largest local government response in Tasmania with the $10 million COVID recovery package.

"Launceston is a great Council to work for and a really enjoyable place to live.  There are many reasons to be extremely positive and excited about Launceston's future, whether that's rolling out our Sustainability Strategy plans, or continuing our relationships with all tiers of government through the Launceston City Deal or focusing on housing, urban growth and transport.

"It's incredibly important that the Council can balance and promote the continued growth of the city, while maintaining a strong financial basis that does not impose significantly on the ratepayers. However, through the work we've done with our strategic plans, such as the Long Term Finance Plan, there's no doubt that the City of Launceston is well placed in all of those respects."

The extension means Mr Stretton is contracted in the role until 2026.