Muswellbrook Mayor Martin Rush resigns

TODAY Martin Rush announced he will be stepping down as Mayor of Muswellbrook at the end of the financial year to return to his career as a barrister.

Joel Fitzgibbon, federal member for Hunter said Martin had made the Muswellbrook Shire a better place during his terms as Mayor.

“I’m sorry to see Martin go,” said Mr Fitzgibbon MP.

“He’s been an outstanding Mayor and the Shire is a better place for his service,” he said.

“He’ll be missed,” Joel Fitzgibbon said.

Mr Rush was first elected to Mayor in 2008 and at the age of 31 was Muswellbrook’s youngest Mayor.

He successfully ran again in 2012 and 2016 garnering nearly half the votes of all other Councillors.

In 2015 Mr Rush ran as the Labor candidate for the state seat of Upper Hunter, narrowing the National’s margin on the seat from 30 percent to only 2 percent.

In 2019 he again contested the seat, but withdrew following an anonymous letter received by the National’s Party candidate Michael Johnsen, alleging Mr Rush had assaulted a woman.