New Mayor Cr Mike Symon to lead Council for 2021/22

Maroondah City Council has a new Mayor, following an election by Councillors at a meeting of Council on Wednesday 10 November.

Cr Mike Symon was sworn in as Maroondah’s 26th Mayor during a special ceremony livestreamed to the Maroondah community.

Cr Rob Steane was elected to the role of Deputy Mayor. The position will provide support to the Mayor in what will be a busy year for Council.

Cr Symon said it was a great honour to be elected to represent the Council in its second year of the current four-year term, and his second Mayoral term. He will hold the post for the next 12 months.

“I am immensely proud to be given the opportunity to lead our Council for the next 12 months. Representing the community is a privilege and an exciting opportunity to make decisions that have a positive impact on our city’s future,” he said.

“I’d like to thank my fellow Councillors for entrusting me to lead this Council and our vibrant and diverse City over the next year,” Cr Symon said.

“Together I know we will strive to make Maroondah a better place for our community. I will continue to advocate for our community needs and build on the work that has been done over the years,” Cr Symon said.

“In 2022 we have both a state and Federal election, so we will keep advocating so that our local members of parliament are fully aware of the needs of our community. Maroondah has had a good success rate with our advocacy efforts, which is highlighted by the number of programs and facilities that have been provided over the years.”

“My path into the role has been rather unique, I believe I am still the only former Federal MP to be elected to local government in Victoria and the first to be hold a second Mayoral term.

“After living through the impacts of the pandemic over the past 20 months, I am looking forward to 2022 being a year where we can reconnect with our community - which is what we have all been missing.”

“Our job as Councillors is to represent the community, and while a phone call or a Zoom meeting is good, it is not the same as being able to speak to and engage with people face to date. So this is a year of catch ups.”

“What hasn’t happened is the community events, activities and arts, these are the things that our community enjoy and what brings us together. So I look forward to seeing our community coming back out and enjoying these things once again.

“This year’s Maroondah Carols event on December 4 will be the first major event that we have been able to host in 20 months - which is why I’m looking forward to it more so than any other year.”

Cr Symon thanked the outgoing Mayor Kylie Spears for her strong leadership, passion and dedication over the past 12 months, as well as outgoing Deputy Mayor, Cr Nora Lamont.

“Maroondah is fortunate to have councillors with such a diverse knowledge base and a passion to bring about positive changes to our community,” he said.

“Cr Spears has led this Council with dedication and unwavering enthusiasm.  Her support to her fellow councillors and our community during one of the most challenging periods our community has faced in recent times is to be commended.”

Cr Symon said one of his first priorities would be to continue to implement the actions identified in the Council Plan, which is the blueprint for the four year Council Term.

During Cr Symon‘s term of office new facilities will be completed at Cheong, Ainslie and Proclamation parks, which will be used by a range of community and sporting organisations; work will continue as we develop the Croydon Community Wellbeing Precinct; and we look forward to creating a new Croydon Town Centre as we work in partnership with the Victorian Government to remove the Coolstore Road level crossing and create a new Croydon station and bus interchange.

“Each of these exciting projects will bring many new opportunities to Maroondah,” Cr Symon said.

Cr Symon invites members of the Maroondah community to attend or view the livestream of Council’s regular meetings to learn more about the processes of local government.

“The meeting schedule for the remainder of 2021 and for 2022 was also confirmed at the 10 November Council meeting, and I would encourage residents, business people and students to attend and take an interest in local issues,” Cr Symon said.

“Some may think voting in Council and other level of government elections is the only way for them to participate, but civic responsibility can extend to being a vital presence when Council conducts its business,” Cr Symon said. 

“I look forward to meeting many members of our community during my term as Mayor and to serving our community with energy, passion, commitment and integrity,” Cr Symon said.