Mareeba Shire Welcomes First Female Mayor

THE new Mareeba Shire Mayor and Councillors were sworn in today at individual ceremonies so that Council could adhere to social distancing measures.

Current Councillor Angela Toppin was elected Mayor and will be the first female to lead the Mareeba Shire.

Returning Councillors Kevin Davies, Mary Graham and Lenore Wyatt are joined by Daniel (Danny) Bird, Lachlan (Locky) Bensted and Mario Mlikota to make up the six elected Councillors.

Mayor Angela Toppin said she’s ready to lead the council with integrity, transparency and accountability. “I look forward to working with the elected council and the community to deliver positive outcomes for the shire,” she said.

“I am fiercely passionate about this Shire and equally passionate about the people and the possibilities in this Shire.

Mayor Toppin said council’s first priority is to deal with the impacts of coronavirus. “As a community, we are in unchartered territory, with COVID-19. People are anxious, frightened and overwhelmed by the unknown,” she said.

“Council’s sole focus is on dealing with flow-on impacts and looking at ways to mitigate the social, economic and health effects of this virus.”

Mareeba Shire Council will continue to balance the delivery of essential services while observing government requirements to keep the community safe.

“The community can be assured that essential services such as water, wastewater and waste will not be compromised due to coronavirus,” Cr Toppin said.

“Together we can navigate this maze. Together as a community, we can weather this storm and emerge stronger and more resilient than ever.”

Mayor Toppin said transport, water, infrastructure and tourism would continue to be at the forefront of the new council. “Mareeba Shire is a wonderful place to live, work and invest,” she said.

“As a council we will continue to improve the liveability for residents, provide further investment opportunities and support local businesses wherever possible to ensure the economic sustainability of the Shire.

“We will continue to advocate for funding from the Federal and State Governments to support infrastructure and services.

“Let’s make our Shire stronger, better and future proof,” the new Mayor concluded.