Straight from city council with councillor Steve Morris

There's nothing like a council election process to stir up new ideas for our city, mixed with the odd bit of sledging. But now the final whistle's blown and the minority of our residents who chose to exercise their democratic right to vote have had their say.

As a result, we have a new Mayor – Greg Brownless – one new councillor, seven re-elected ones (myself gratefully included) and two former councillors who have come back from the political grave. Yes, my workplace nickname for Cr Baldock is ‘Lazarus'.

In local politics you can be questioning the competency of your opponent versus that of your good-self in public one week, and be faced with the awkward situation of sitting around the table with him or her the next. That's the people's choice. You may not agree, but you must respect it.

We've lost some great and challenging minds from around the council table. Mayor Crosby, Cr Matt Cowley, Cr Bev Edlin and Cr John Robson brought an uncommon breadth of experience and ability to the council table that I will miss, not just as a fellow councillor, but as a resident and ratepayer.

My new colleagues and I need to step up to fill that hole. There's no place for undermining, or petty behaviour, to get the attention of sleepy journalists at the back of the council chamber. We've had an election, it's now time to get over it and get on with it. Our city deserves nothing less.