At the 1999 Council elections, Council conducted a referendum asking residents of the Hunters Hill Municipality if they would like the opportunity to vote for the office of Mayor and if they wished to reduce the number of elected Councillors.
Both questions were answered in the affirmative and became operative from the next quadrennial elections scheduled for September 2003. The State Government subsequently postponed these elections until March 2004, to allow a structural reform program for local councils to be implemented.
The 2004 Local Government Elections held 27 March 2004 saw the first popularly elected Mayor in Hunters Hill, changing the previously Councillor elected Mayor who stood for a 1 year term, to a Mayor chosen by the people for a 4 ½ year term.
This election also signified the changing of wards. Previously, 3 wards existed within the municipality – East, Central and West Wards. The ward boundaries were changed to North and South Wards only. In response to the results of the referendum, the previous number of 9 Councillors was reduced to 6 Councillors plus the Mayor and divided between the wards.
Councillor Mark Bennett is the popularly elected Mayor for a three year term until the next ordinary election of the Council in 2020. Councillor Ross Williams has been elected Deputy Mayor for a one year term, commencing 25 September 2017.