Parramatta will not have a popularly-elected mayor any time soon after councillors knocked the idea firmly on the head at Monday night’s council meeting.

The rejection was a major blow to Lord Mayor Paul Garrard who believes Parramatta needs a mayor elected by the people for a four-year term, rather than elected by councillors every year.

But, despite a survey showing 64 per cent of residents supported the concept, councillors voted 10-4 against the idea.

Only councillors Chiang Lim, Andrew Bide and Scott Lloyd supported the council holding a referendum on the issue.

Cr Andrew Wilson was absent from the meeting which saw most of the Liberals voting with Labor to oppose the move.

Councillors argued that a popularly-elected mayor may not have the support of the chamber and that the city could be stuck with a dud mayor for four years.

Cr Julia Finn pointed out that Australians did not vote for their prime minister or premiers so thought councillors were better able to pick the mayor.

Cr John Chedid said the public “did not understand the mechanics of council”, meaning they could not appreciate the difficulty of a popularly-elected lord mayor having the chamber against him or her.

“Not having political control would be embarrassing for a lord mayor,” he said.

Cr Tony Issa, who had unsuccessfully tried to float the idea in 1994 and 1996 when he was lord mayor, is no longer in favour of the concept because of political divisions in council.

He said a popularly-elected mayor may work “when councillors grow up and take care of their community rather than politics”.

Cr Pierre Esber favours a popularly-elected mayor if it was for two years and councillors were full-time paid politicians.

Deputy Lord Mayor Cr Chiang Lim said “any reasonable person thinks that changing the lord mayor every year is ridiculous”.

Cr Garrard said Parramatta, as the “cradle city of the nation”, deserved to have a Lord Mayor elected by the people for a four-year term.

“You cannot achieve much in a year,” Cr Garrard said.