From the Mayor - 30 October 2024

My first month as Mayor has been filled with many highlights, from the swearing-in ceremony of our new Council to opening and attending the fantastic Out & About events series. I've also had the privilege of conferring Australian citizenship on 30 residents as I officiated my first Citizenship Ceremony at the Allan Border Oval Pavilion.

I'm incredibly honoured and grateful for the community's support and the trust you've placed in me as your Mayor. I'm excited for the opportunity to lead a Council that will continue to deliver meaningful results and work collegiately to ensure Mosman remains the special place we all love.

A key to understanding community needs is gathering and listening to feedback via Council’s ‘Imagine Mosman 2035’ engagement program. This initiative has included consultations with a wide range of stakeholders, including residents, ratepayers, schools, community organisations, and local businesses. Thank you to everyone who has contributed, as your views will help inform our next 10-year Community Strategic Plan. More opportunities will arise for feedback before the plan, which will guide delivery of services and facilities to the community, is finalised in June 2025.

An issue raised consistently during the election campaign and through feedback to Council is that of development and higher densities, and protecting Mosman’s village atmosphere, its heritage and residential character. This was also highlighted at the Warringah Housing Forum that I attended this month, hosted by our Federal MP Zali Steggall. In wide-ranging discussions, housing affordability, accessibility for essential workers, tax concessions and policy challenges underpinning high housing prices were all canvassed.

For Mosman and other localities across our region, infrastructure planning is essential. Sustainable housing solutions must include robust infrastructure planning to support increased density, with a focus on balancing community preservation with housing targets. Simply increasing supply without addressing infrastructure is not a sustainable or effective solution.

As Mayor, I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to the Mosman community and am fully committed to serving in this role. This means building on the accomplishments of our previous Council and the strong leadership of former Mayor Carolyn Corrigan, who remains a valuable member of our Council. I look forward to working with Deputy Mayor Michael Randall and my fellow Councillors to represent and serve our community with distinction.