JADE Benham from Bannerton is the new Swan Hill Rural City Mayor, elected unopposed on Tuesday.
Cr Benham was nominated by Cr Anne Young, and said her former councillor was a mentor figure and a huge support.
“She was the reason I wanted to be a councillor, and has been a source of inspiration,” Cr Benham said.
The former Deputy Mayor also said she wanted to pay her respects to other women who had been in local politics before her, such as former Swan Hill Rural City Council Maren Chandler.
“I remember seeing Maren when I was younger and thinking to myself, ‘wow, we’ve got a female mayor – how cool is Swan Hill’?”
Former Mayor Bill Moar was elected as Deputy Mayor, and Ms Benham said her predecessor had displayed “elegance and grace” in what had been a “pressure cooker” mayoral term.
“I hope my next 12 months are smoother sailing,” she said.
“I do hope to continue the hard work that has been done by this council, and we have a great group of councillors in this chamber.
“And I hope to draw our attention to the practical work being done on the ground for our municipality.”
Cr Benham is passionate about the region and recognises the importance of smaller communities throughout the municipality.
“I want to see our communities not just survive, but thrive once again.
“I believe it’s time for some very significant future planning, and not just in terms of regional development, but in development of our infrastructure and housing so we are able to keep feeding the world,” she said.
Cr Benham said she was looking forward to leading the municipality and had many plans in the pipeline for 2022.
“Together with Council, I look forward to moving ahead with the many exciting projects, while also ensuring Council’s core business of providing services and facilities to our community continues.
“It will be a great privilege to continue Cr Moar’s important work in supporting residents in our municipality to continue to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic – as we begin to see our region thriving once again,” Cr Benham said.
Mayor Benham, who works in media, said she was also looking forward to communicating council’s goals with the assistance of community engagement and communications coordinator Felicity O’Rourke.”But also I would like to invite the public to any conversations with me or any other councillor, as that will lead to fruitful outcomes.
“Things start from single conversations, so I hope the community finds each and every one of us approachable.
“Meaning we do become more than just roads, rates and rubbish.”
In concluding her speech, Cr Benham wrapped up with a sports analogy.
“It is coming into cricket season and the T20, that’s been a focal point for me personally the last week or so.
“Life is like cricket – you face the pace to win the race.”
