The Parramatta Council debates the election of the mayor
“If you look at the number of people you have to influence as a popularly elected mayor, you’re looking at more than in a seat of state,” she said. “To advertise successfully in this area without significant means [financial] Backers… how does an independent fund itself?”
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Our local councilor, Henry Green, called the idea “bullshit”.
But business leaders support the idea, saying a popularly elected mayor would offer stability.
“Parramatta needs his own Clover,” said Adam Leto, executive director of the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue group, citing the City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore. “The leadership required for a big city is significant and this is the next step [Parramatta’s] maturity.”
Parramatta’s role as “the most successful second CBD in Australia” means it needs a leader capable of “attracting investment and government infrastructure,” said David Borger, the city’s former Lord Mayor and chief executive of Business Western Sydney.
The model would give the leader “a greater mandate for the community and the opportunity for a visionary platform,” he said.
If the community’s response to the poll is positive, councilors would vote to put the matter to a referendum in local elections in September 2024.
“If the referendum builds, you can bet your lowest dollar that it will succeed,” Labour’s Maclean said. “The community generally likes the idea of self-determination, whether they think about the implications or not.”
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