Mayoral candidate Len Salt has a clear lead of 4265 votes in our local elections, with approximately 90 per cent of the votes counted.

John Freer has 2136 votes and Cherie Staples is in third with 1548 votes.

See tcdc.govt.nz/results for the votes for the remaining Mayoral candidates, Councillors and Community Board Members.

By tomorrow morning, approximately 97 per cent of votes should be counted and will be released in what is called the preliminary results.

After the remaining Special Votes that haven’t yet been counted are included, then the final results will be released next week.

“I'm really excited to see the new faces on our Council and Community Boards of people who are deeply connected with our communities,” says Mr Salt.

“I owe a huge thank you to all the people who have supported me on this journey over the last few years. We have a unique opportunity to grow and expand the collaboration between Council and the people in our communities who are out there making a difference every day. We have some significant challenges ahead. However, I'm absolutely confident that we can meet these and take Thames-Coromandel District forward to a more resilient future,” says Mr Salt.

The new and returning elected members will get straight to work next week as a thorough induction programme into our Council and how local government works begins.

The new electoral term’s Mayor, Councillors and Community Board Members will be officially sworn in at our Council’s inaugural meeting in November.

© Scoop Media