Currently the Mayor of Kiama is elected by the Councillors for a 2 year term.
The upcoming Council elections on September 14th will include a referendum to decide whether or not, from the 2028 Council election, the Mayor will be directly elected by the voters in the Kiama Municipality, rather than by the Councillors.
On 30th July 2024 The Bugle Newspaper organised a debate to present the arguments for and against this proposal. The event was held at the Kiama Leagues Club, the MC was Donna Portland from The Bugle, the Adjudicator was Bernie Hems from Kiama Community Radio and the Acknowledgement of Country was presented by Councillor Stuart Larkins.