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A leadership style familiar with his team is what newly elected Mayor Scott Jeffery will bring to Strathbogie Shire, and was executed immediately at the council's ordinary meeting on the afternoon of Tuesday 18 November.
Cr Jeffery became the shire’s new Mayor that morning at 10:50am in a separate public meeting at which he was the only nominee for the position.
He was announced as Mayor unopposed by shire CEO Rachelle Quattrocchi under Section 12 of the Strathbogie Shire Governance Rules.
Cr Jeffery said he was dedicated to serving the community with the support of his parents, wife, and children and remained committed to a foundation of listening, transparency, accountability, and action.
He said he would build the position on his experience as Deputy Mayor and prided himself on helping the council better steer its reputation on economical management and allowing the community to be heard.
“Everyone has (already) got to know me and my leadership style,” Cr Jeffery said.
“Public trust is earned through honesty, clear communication, and responsible stewardship of resources."
That style and clear communication was then demonstrated during Tuesday's second meeting when local group Frost Street 883 & Rising fielded questions to council which the group felt had not been answered adequately in previous council meetings.
One member of the group said council had given residents 'the runaround' on the issue of the Frost Street underpass.
Cr Jeffery challenged the group on their methods, while also praising their efforts.
“I make a note for members of 883 and Rising that all of the questions asked today are good-looking questions,” Cr Jeffery said.
“Some of them are quite adversarial, some of them are ‘gotcha’ questions.
“My preference would be that we work on this together.
“That is our commitment - we want to be working as a team and that’s the council’s commitment.”
Cr Jeffery said the Euroa railway precinct was a ‘massive’ opportunity and involved possibly the largest investment Euroa would see ‘in our lifetimes’.
“From my perspective, the questions that we’ve had over the last few months on this topic are based upon a decision that’s been taken, it has been committed to, and Inland Rail have commenced works in that regard.
“What we don’t want to do is damage relationships within the community between the council and the group and other community groups such as 883 and certainly not with our strategic partners.
“We need strong relationships with them in order to achieve the best for the community (and) I ask you to consider that at next month’s meeting.”
Cr Jeffery said he would be pleased to chat with the group further, choosing to press on with the meeting’s agenda when asked without notice why a consultation meeting was not held before the 17 June council meeting which voted to close the underpass, .
Cr Jeffery also thanked outgoing Mayor Claire Ewart-Kennedy for her service, saying she had shown exceptional resilience in the face of personal and concurrent organisational challenges.
“That has not gone unnoticed, so thank you for that,” he said.
Cr Jeffery is in the sixth generation of a family which has been in the Avenel area for over 150 years.
He vowed to continue on a leadership legacy, saying that good leadership demanded action.
“We must think not only of today but tomorrow also,” he said.
Cr Claire Ewart-Kennedy was then elected Deputy Mayor in a close vote of 4-3 over Cr Vicki Halsall.
Cr Greg Carlsen nominated Cr Ewart-Kennedy and Cr Halsall was self-nominated.
Cr Ewart-Kennedy said she found the experience as a first-year councillor and mayor as challenging.
“People should not take it on if they are not ready for the ride,” she said.
However, she said the experience had put her in good stead to serve the community as Deputy Mayor.
Mayor Jeffery spoke with The Euroa Gazette on Thursday 20 November and repeated his commitment to holding two municipal performance reports at each township in the shire each year, with open question times at each of them.
“Our community will have opportunity to be heard," he said.
“Each voice matters, and I will strengthen confidence in our organisation by ensuring every policy project and dollar serves the long-term interests of residents.”
"My leadership style is very much about listening," he said.
"I am a strong introvert and so I like to listen and think about things before making an assessment.
"I'm an engineer by trade and so very logical and I won't avoid difficult conversations which is an attribute I have had that has put me in good stead in my career.
"What I plan to do...is to use those skills and be able to listen and understand any stakeholders to form a logical opinion and then make a decision and take decisive action to resolve issues."
Posse of Mayors
One of The Euroa Gazette's regular 'fly-bys' dropped in last week to point out a possible curiosity.
The current council of seven members comprises now five councilors with experience as Mayor.
With three more years left to the current electoral cycle, it might be possible to see the council end its term with an alumni in which all have worn the chains.
And although that is largely dependent on Cr Jeffery's aspirations (and those of others), the current proportion of ex-mayors on council may already be a state record.
Further correspondence on the matter is welcomed to:
(PS The Strathbogie Shire has no mayoral chains)
