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AFTER receiving a conviction for failing to stop after a crash, former Loddon Shire mayor Gavan Holt says he wants to get on with council business and put the matter behind him.
Mr Holt was convicted and fined $2000, with a six-month licence suspension, for the crash on Wedderburn-Serpentine Road on October 27.
Speaking outside court, Mr Holt said he had “honestly apologised” for the incident, and was keen to move on.
“I have apologised to the other driver, to the Loddon Shire Council and the people of Loddon for what I’ve done. I’ve made a mistake,” he said.
“I have been dealt with by the Victorian legal system, and the justice system.
“That system has made a decision on these matters, I accept that decision, I take my penalty as I should, and I am hopeful that this is the end of the matter.”
Mr Holt will retain his position on council, with councillors only required to step down should they face charges with a maximum penalty of five years jail.
His work on a number of statewide committees, including a role as deputy chair of the Rural Council of Victoria, were used as evidence of his good character.
Victorian Nationals leader Peter Walsh also submitted a letter of support for Mr Holt.
Current Loddon Shire mayor Neil Beattie released a statement of support of Mr Holt, acknowledging the mistake but recognising his work as “an excellent councillor” for the past 12 years.
He said Mr Holt would remain a Loddon Shire councillor, with no further action to be taken.
“I recognise that, as public figures, councillors are held to a higher standard of behaviour than the general public,” Cr Beattie said.
“It is for this reason that Councillor Holt has paid a particularly heavy price for his mistakes of 27 October 2015.
“With the matter having now been dealt with by the authorities, I do not propose to make any further public statement on this matter, and I do not expect that council will take any further action.”
