MILDURA’S new council is quite the mix.
Back for another stint are two former mayors, one who sits on the right of politics and one on the left, a woman who is a strong advocate for gender equality, and a left-leaning tradie who has had a run at Federal Parliament.
Then there’s those elected for the first time, including a celebrity cook, a nightclub boss, a Werrimull farmer and two local women with business backgrounds who want to cut through the political BS and get the economy moving.
They are nine very different characters, but just how this new council functions will determine what gets achieved over the next four years.
Glenn Milne, Mark Eckel, Jason Modica, Helen Healy, Stefano de Pieri, Liam Wood, Mark Eckel, Cyndi Power and Jodi Reynolds come together as a team at a critical time in this municipality’s history.
As we begin our economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, this region needs to pick up the country pace and get moving.
The housing market is booming, developments are going up everywhere, suggesting great confidence in this region, so the council needs to be bold in its thinking.
The council needs to rediscover the pioneering spirit that this region was built on or risk falling further behind other regional cities.
It starts with asking some simple questions: who are we and what do we want to be? And then, how are we going to get there?
The opportunities in this idyllic climate in the food bowl of Australia are everywhere. But they need vision, an element of daring and political drive to execute.
The Mildura South Regional Sporting Precinct is the sort of project this city needs more of. As is the continuing development of the jewel in our crown, the riverfront.
But more needs to be done to not only cater for our growing population, but to attract the visitors here again and again and again.
On that front, it’s positive to see some fresh faces join council this year.
All will come with raw enthusiasm and ideas that need to be harnessed.
One of the most interesting new voices will be our celebrity cook Stefano, who this town knows is never short of an opinion.
I’ve had a few coffees over the years with Stefano and there are few people I’ve met who are more passionate about Mildura.
He is Italian, so understands that nothing gets achieved without a strong work ethic. But I think it’s also his willingness to think outside the square that could shake things up inside council chambers.
Will he be a bull in a china shop? Perhaps. But to assume that would underestimate his long history in the background of politics.
I have yet to have coffees with Liam Wood, Cyndi Power or Jodi Reynolds, but they, too, seem solid choices who Mildura residents have voted in. We look forward to seeing what they bring to the table.
People are often critical of councillors or elected state or federal politicians.
But I’m of the firm belief that every one of them enters the role because they care deeply about their communities.
First and foremost, they put their hands up because they want to make a positive difference.
For that, we should say thanks to our new team of nine councillors, and wish them all the best.
They’ve got a big job to do.
