Golden Plains Shire Council elected Cr. Owen Sharkey as the Mayor of Golden Plains Shire 2018-19 at its special annual meeting at Bannockburn Shire Hall last night.
At the special meeting, Councillors also elected Cr Joanne Gilbert as the Deputy Mayor of Golden Plains Shire 2018-19.
Mayor Cr Sharkey was elected to Golden Plains Shire Council in November 2016 and serves as Council’s representative to the G21 Economic Development Pillar and the Tourism Geelong and the Bellarine Board. He lives with his family in Batesford and works as a real estate agent in Bannockburn.
Mayor Cr Sharkey, who was joined by family and friends at the mayoral election, delivered an acceptance speech at the public event.
“I would like to thank you all for honouring me with this role. It is something I take extremely seriously and I look forward to the challenge.
“As the incoming mayor I will work closely with my fellow councillors and respect the decisions made by our collective votes that determine Council’s direction and decisions.
“I am of the opinion that no Councillor nor Mayor should ever use the word ‘I’, after all it is ‘us’ that make the decisions within this chamber and it is this teamwork that will be of most use to our community.”
Mayor Cr. Sharkey outlined his commitment to concentrate efforts on several key issues during his 12-month term as Mayor including lobbying State Government for a review of the rating system; working to create better equality with household rates; lobby for improved public transport and health care options across the Shire; continue to work hard for new job creation opportunities and economic development; and stay on top of growth, manage community expectations and meet service standards.
For a video of Mayor Cr. Sharkey’s incoming speech, view here.
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Higher resolution image available on request.
Released by: Eric Braslis, CEO, Golden Plains Shire Council
Media contact: Susan Talpey, Senior Communications and Marketing Officer, Golden Plains Shire Council
P. 5220 7147 │ E. [email protected]
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