The inner city's newly-elected local government representatives have been publicly announced at a ceremony at Sydney Town Hall this afternoon.
After a smoking ceremony by Brendan Kerin from the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, world champion town crier, Graham Keating, celebrated the new City of Sydney Council following the official announcement of the local government election results.
Councillors were then sworn in and a Deputy Lord Mayor elected at an extraordinary meeting to kick off the new term.
Clover Moore has returned as Lord Mayor with Jess Scully named Deputy Lord Mayor. Jess Scully, Robert Kok and Linda Scott have returned as councillors. Emelda Davis, HY William Chan, Sylvie Ellsmore, Shauna Jarrett, Yvonne Weldon and Lyndon Gannon will represent the City of Sydney for the first time.
Returning councillors:
· Clover Moore – first elected Lord Mayor in 2004, Councillor Moore is the longest serving leader of the City of Sydney. Councillor Moore was an independent member of the NSW Parliament from 1988 to 2012. (Clover Moore Independent Team)
· Jess Scully – a curator, consultant and author, Councillor Scully uses creativity to engage with people about urban life. Councillor Scully was first elected as a councillor in 2016. (Clover Moore Independent Team)
· Robert Kok – Councillor Kok is an advocate for a multicultural city and strengthening the local area's relationship with Asian communities. A practicing lawyer, this is Councillor Kok's fourth term as a City of Sydney councillor. (Clover Moore Independent Team)
· Linda Scott – Councillor Scott is committed to making Sydney fun, fair and sustainable. An experienced board director, she also serves as the President of the Australian Local Government Association and deputy chair of industry superannuation fund CareSuper. This is Councillor Scott's third term as a City of Sydney councillor. (Labor)
New councillors:
· Emelda Davis – Councillor Davis has extensive experience in capacity building for Indigenous, Australian South Sea Islander, Pacific and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Councillor Davis is the founding chair of not-for-profit Australian South Sea Islanders (Port Jackson) and has worked for several government agencies and grassroots organisations. (Clover Moore Independent Team)
· HY William Chan – a Sydney architect, urban planner and recent fellow in sustainable cities with the UN, Councillor Chan also advocates for youth and climate justice. (Clover Moore Independent Team)
· Sylvie Ellsmore – a community organiser and environmental and native title lawyer, Councillor Ellsmore has previously served on Marrickville Council and supports a more equal, sustainable and grassroots Sydney. (Greens)
· Shauna Jarrett – a senior executive specialising in strategic design, implementation and governance, Councillor Jarrett is concerned about the post-pandemic recovery of the city and sees an opportunity to renew arts and culture in the local area. (Liberal)
· Yvonne Weldon – has 30 years' experience working in government and Aboriginal organisations. Councillor Weldon is chair of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, deputy chair of the NSW Australia Day Council, and a Domestic Violence NSW and Redfern Jarjum College board member. Her vision is a vibrant, inclusive city humming with opportunity equally accessible to all Sydneysiders. (Independent)
· Lyndon Gannon – an entrepreneur who is keen to champion the concerns of small and medium sized businesses. (Liberal)
This year's election saw more than 120,000 votes cast by both local residents and those on the City of Sydney's non-residential register. 55 percent of votes were lodged in person with the remainder cast online or by post. Close to 175,000 people were eligible to vote.
Local government elections in NSW are usually held every 4 years. However, as the 2020 election was postponed twice due to Covid-19, the new council will serve for 2 years and 9 months. The next election is scheduled to be held in September 2024.
