A changing of the guard

READY FOR THE CHALLENGE… Cr Seema Abdullah assumes the role of Greater Shepparton City Council Mayor. Photo Steve Hutcheson
READY FOR THE CHALLENGE… Cr Seema Abdullah assumes the role of Greater Shepparton City Council Mayor. Photo Steve Hutcheson

Good things come to those who wait, unless of course you are a young woman in a hurry. Such is the outcome of the Greater Shepparton City Council special council meeting held last Tuesday at which Cr Seema Abdullah was elected Mayor for the next 12 months.

Cr Abdullah is eminently qualified in her management role and takes on the position while Shepparton is rapidly developing as a predominant regional city.

Seema professes to be a mediator and encourages the diversity of opinion and robust debate that council meetings can engender. “I want to thank the councillors for their vote of confidence and support and I am 100% committed to the position,” she said.

“The council has a shared front on its priority list of things we need to address. This includes the continued momentum on infrastructure, Maude St mall, new sporting facilities, the GV bypass but we also need to play our part in the social and economic needs of the community. We have a very high rate of homelessness and have an affordable housing strategy in play but we are not the only player. We just have to push to get the funding.”

“It is important that we are united and build trust. The community wants to see our position on council encourage debate.”

With less than a year before the next general elections, all eyes will be on how the new Mayor goes in her role.