TUESDAY, November 19, Greater Shepparton City Council held an additional meeting to determine who would be the mayor and deputy mayor of the newly elected Council. It was the first Council meeting since the election, led by chief executive Fiona Le Gassick, with all nine councillors present.
The first item on the agenda was whether the mayoral term should be extended from one year to two years. There were mixed responses to this proposal. However, the motion was approved, with seven councillors voting in favour and Councillors Sam Spinks and Fern Summer voting against it.
After explaining the role and expectations of the mayor, Ms Le Gassick asked for nominations, with only one name put forward– Shane Sali, nominated by Cr Anthony Brophy.
Following the re-election of Mayor Cr Sali, nominations for the deputy mayor position were called. Midland Ward’s Cr Rod Schubert nominated Cr Brophy, while Paul Wickham from Goulburn River nominated himself. Additionally, Cr Sam Spinks, the former deputy mayor, nominated Cr Fern Summer. Each candidate presented their vision and plans for the role, highlighting why fellow councillors should select them as deputy.
Cr Brophy was elected as deputy mayor for one year, marking the second time he and Cr Sali have worked together in the leadership roles, an opportunity both are excited about.
Cr Sali highlighted projects on their agenda including progressing the GV Link, the Shepparton Sports and Events Centre, finishing the Princess Park Precinct redevelopment, and addressing the council’s operating deficit.
Cr Brophy said he was looking forward to hitting the ground running. “We can actually sit there tomorrow and start going through different items that we need to start ticking off in the very first year, even before Christmas.”
Highlighting how the pair worked well together during the October 2022 flood event, Cr Sali said, “The mayoral role is very consuming, and it’s important that you’ve got really good support there in the deputy mayor role, and that’s why I was very supportive of Councillor Brophy and clearly the majority was as well.”
“We’ve got some major projects that need to continue to progress. It’s about maintaining that stability; it’s about connecting with our state and federal counterparts. We’ve got big projects and big expectations from our community that we’ve got to deliver, and we’re excited to get into it,” Cr Sali said.
