COUNCILLOR Sally Townley has been elected Deputy Mayor of Coffs Harbour City Council by her fellow Councillors at the first meeting of the new Council.

“I’m thrilled and honoured to be selected to be Deputy Mayor of this incoming Council,” Sally told News Of The Area.

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“We have a great mix of returning Councillors and new starters.

“As I am now the longest-serving Councillor on this team, it’s great to be able to provide a support role to the Mayor.

“I am already impressed with the enthusiasm shown by all Councillors.

“It’s quite a demanding job and a lot is expected of us.

“But everyone seems to be jumping in with both feet, so it’s a great start.

“I often say that Council is a team sport; it works much better if everyone is working together.

“Of course, we won’t always agree on things, but I really strive for consensus decision-making, and I think that has been one of my strengths on Council over the past ten years.”

Having come from a background in environmental science, Sally says is passionate about seeing Coffs retaining its amazing biodiversity.

“Some aspects of the environment are under threat, especially our creeks and waterways.

“We are seeing consistently high levels of pollution, much of which has come from rapidly-expanding horticultural industries.

“I think Council has a clear role to play in helping balance farming with environmental protections and I would like to see Council work with other agencies to get this right.

“The role of Council has changed a lot in recent years, and I would like to see Coffs break new ground by tackling the issue of affordable housing.

“We have a lot of tools at our disposal, and I will be pushing for investment in this area.

“One of the other major focus areas is waste.

“As a Council we have taken our eyes off the ball and urgently need to develop new strategies and approaches.

“Waste is everyone’s problem, but we need to start thinking of it as a resource.

“We need to work with neighbouring Councils, waste service providers, innovators, social enterprises and visionaries to maximise recovery of resources from our waste stream.

“This is possibly the biggest challenge of all facing us, but I really think this new team will give it our all.”

Coffs Harbour Mayor Paul Amos said, “I’m delighted that Cr Townley has become the first Deputy Mayor of our new Council.

“We have a team that combines experience and fresh ideas and I’m very optimistic that we will be making some significant progress for our community.

“I’m looking forward to working closely with Cr Townley in her new role.”

Sally Townley will serve a seven-month term as Deputy Mayor until September 2022.

The usual length of time served by a Deputy Mayor is 12 months beginning every September, but this was disrupted in 2021 by the postponement of the Local Government Elections until December.

By Andrea FERRARI