Council & Business
17 November, 2022
Councillor Grace La Vella appointed mayor
Councillor Grace La Vella will serve as Central Goldfields Shire mayor for the next 12 months, replacing veteran mayor Chris Meddows-Taylor at a meeting earlier this week. At Tuesday’s statutory council meeting, councillors unanimously determined...
Councillor Grace La Vella will serve as Central Goldfields Shire mayor for the next 12 months, replacing veteran mayor Chris Meddows-Taylor at a meeting earlier this week.
At Tuesday’s statutory council meeting, councillors unanimously determined that the term of the mayor remain 12 months, with former mayor Cr Meddows-Taylor nominating the Maryborough Ward councillor for the position of mayor.
Having served two years as mayor since council was appointed in 2020, following a period of administration, Cr Meddows-Taylor said while an honour to hold the position of mayor, it was time for another to take the reins of council.
“It is a real pleasure to nominate Cr La Vella to the role I’ve enjoyed having for the past two years and I really look forward to Cr La Vella holding that role,” he said.
“I think it’s two and a half years ago I first met Cr La Vella, some people go back longer, but I met Cr La Vella a few months before council elections and from the start I was always enthused by her passion for local government, her belief in it and her experience in it.
“Since joining council, Cr La Vella has been a passionate enthusiast for everything she gets involved with.
“She’s represented council extremely well with the Municipal Association of Victoria and continues to work of course on the Victorian Local Government Association board.
“In terms of personal commitment, Cr La Vella is a team player who listens, she works in with people, listens to the community and I certainly sense clearly over time that the community and individuals will have someone who will listen to their concerns and problems.”
Cr La Vella is just the second mayor the Central Goldfields Shire has had in five years, since the previous council was dismissed and administrators appointed in 2017.
Speaking during the council meeting, Cr La Vella said she would be a mayor for all residents, acknowledging she had “huge shoes to fill” in Cr Meddows-Taylor’s former role.
“It is an enormous honour to become mayor of the Central Goldfields Shire and it’s my privilege to represent this community,” she said.
“Anyone who knows me will know that I’m passionate about our municipality and the people in it.
“From day one I will be a mayor for all and I will work with others across the chamber and externally to build relationships.
“I have huge shoes to fill, Chris has been a fantastic leader over the past two years and moving forward, economic development and tourism is my main priority.”
Cr La Vella said council’s priorities in supporting the community would remain unchanged moving forward.
“As a local council we must do everything possible to support our community and I will continue to grow our local economy, boost tourism and support our local businesses to create jobs,” she said.
“I will ensure our sporting precincts are upgraded and maintained in accordance with our major reserves master plan and our beautiful town hall is restored to its former glory to further enhance the amazing art gallery and central business precinct.
“I strongly believe one of our core roles is to represent the people who elected us, advocate for them and be their voice — we are in essence a conduit from the community to the organisation (council).
“To this end, I will continue to build our strong community engagement processes which have been working successfully over the last two years and will prioritise council visibility and responsiveness to the community.”
Councillors also discussed whether a deputy mayor should be appointed during the meeting, with Cr Geoff Lovett introducing a motion that council do not appoint a deputy mayor.
“Last year we debated this issue in the negative and this year we also debated this issue in the negative,” Cr Lovett said.
“This council has made its point of view quite clear and I believe we put it to rest for the remainder of this term and in 2024, the newly elected council can make their decision accordingly.”
Cr Lovett also introduced a motion that council do not reconsider appointing a deputy mayor for the remainder of the council term, a further two years, which was seconded by Cr Meddows-Taylor.
“Flat structures are good structures and to add a layer can add a layer of complexity we don’t need,” Cr Meddows-Taylor said.
“This council has had a long and I think proud history of councillors working as a team with the mayor of the day.
“The danger of having a deputy mayor, apart from a number of other things, is that councillors are suddenly seen at a third level.”