Kingston Council elects its new Mayor
Bunjil Ward Councillor Steve Staikos has been elected to lead the Kingston community for the next 12 months as Kingston’s Mayor.
Cr Staikos has served as a Kingston Councillor for 12 years and has been the Mayor on two previous occasions, in 2009-10 and 2017-18.
Cr Staikos said he was both grateful and humbled at the trust his fellow Councillors had placed in him by electing him as Mayor.
“I’m honoured and privileged to be chosen for this role for the third time,” said Cr Staikos. “I am incredibly excited for the next four years and I’m looking forward to working with each of you as we discuss ideas, find solutions and work together for the good of the Kingston community.”
“Looking around the room tonight I think we make a great team – with a range of different backgrounds, strengths, viewpoints and varied passions.”
The newly-elected Mayor reflected on the challenges brought about by COVID-19 and said helping the Kingston community to rebuild would continue to be a priority of this new Council.
Cr Staikos said his other priorities would be driving the delivery of the long-awaited vision for the Chain of Parks, preserving neighbourhood character with further strategic work being undertaken on the Housing Strategy and continuing to redevelop our sporting facilities across the city.
“We will be working hand-in-hand with our community and I am confident that together we can deliver a strong future for the City of Kingston,” said Cr Staikos.
Newly elected Councillor and Karkarook Ward representative Cr Hadi Saab was elected as Deputy Mayor.
Cr Saab said he was looking forward to working collaboratively with the Mayor, and all councillors, noting his election to the position of Deputy Mayor represented the change that was sought by the Kingston Community at the recent council elections.
The new Kingston Council includes five re-elected Councillors and six new faces joining the expanded 11-member Council. The City of Kingston’s three wards, North, Central and South Wards, have now been replaced with 11 single-member wards.
The 11 Councillors sworn in at the special meeting on Wednesday night were:
Banksia Ward – Cr Cameron Howe, Bunjil Ward – Cr Steve Staikos, Caruana Ward – Cr George Hua,
Chicquita Ward – Cr Tracey Davies, Como Ward – Cr Chris Hill, Karkarook Ward – Cr Hadi Saab
Longbeach Ward – Cr Georgina Oxley, Melaleuca Ward – Cr Tim Cochrane,
Sandpiper Ward – Cr David Eden, Wattle Ward – Cr Jenna Davey-Burns and
Yammerbook Ward – Cr Tamsin Bearsley
