In recent weeks across new South Wales, local councils have been electing the person who will be deputy mayor leading up to the next election – all 128 local councils in NSW will hold general elections on 12 September 2020.
In the Byron Shire, greens councillor Sarah Ndiaye was voted in unopposed by the mayor and councillors in the Mullumbimby chambers.
Cr Ndiaye says it’s a great honour to be elected Deputy Mayor. ’It will give me the opportunity to understand the workings of council and our community even more.’
Ndiaye says she hopes to use the position to help raise awareness of our waste management challenges – particularly in the commercial and industrial areas, and continue the task of bringing back the Bruns River through riparian work, water management and cleanups, and lay the foundations for some affordable housing outcomes in the Shire while continuing to improve our basic infrastructure.
‘It’s a complex picture and we need to stay focused on our goal of meeting our zero emissions targets by 2025 in all our decision making,’ she said. ‘There’s just so much to do in this last year of the current council term and I’m very excited about so many of the projects council is involved in.
Ndiaye said the Mayor is very committed and I’m looking forward to providing support and stepping in when he’s unavailable to chair meetings, conduct citizenship ceremonies or attend events.
‘I’m grateful to Cr Michael Lyon. Most people who take on the role of Deputy Mayor really don’t have to do too much, but when the Mayor, Simon Richardson, needed to be with his family, Cr Lyon was able to step into the role in its entirety for three months.
‘It was a challenging time and he should be commended for his care and commitment during that period and I am looking forward to the next 12 months working with Councillors, staff and the community.’
The councillor stipend remains at $20,280 per year before any tax or superannuation is deducted and it is seven years since a woman was elected to the role of deputy mayor.
Who cares about what Sarah Ndiaye thinks about being deputy mayor?
The Greens have gone off the boil, they don’t cook with any good oil and they don’t care about the vegetation, the trees or the soil any more.
What an unkind and clueless response.LEN HEGGARTY. Any citizen who steps forward to help their community by running for council for measure financial recompense for the enormous amount of time such a position requires should be respected and thanked. And what is your enormous contribution ? A nasty few lines to a newspaper.
Any decent person would thank Sarah for the incredible dedication and time she puts into a clearly thankless job. She is a thoroughly good person with much integrity.
Your remarks are a low punch, even for The Echo commentators.
Len Heggarty for mayor of Byron Shire ?
No just a keyboard warrior .
The Greens have had a lot of achievements, and it is a great team of which Cr Ndiaye would be the first to acknowledge takes all of them to achieve. I for one look at the positives rather than throwing negativity around. I know they have the commitment to solar and compost and soil. Sarah herself was on the river removing litter just last weekend.
Well done.
Time to stop the hate Len, I think Sarah and the other Greens deserve thanks for what they have achieved.
Great to see a female in the role.