In his first year as an elected representative of Armidale Regional Council Mayor Sam Coupland has been elected to the executive team of the Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA).
At the annual AGM held in Sydney on Friday 18 November eight country mayors were elected to the executive. At the helm as chairman is Cr Jamie Chaffey (Mayor of Gunnedah Shire) and Councillor Rick Firman OAM (Mayor of Temora Shire Council) was elected Deputy Chairman.
Armidale Regional Council Mayor Sam Coupland said it was an honour to sit alongside his esteemed local government colleagues and looked forward to representing the Armidale region and the broader NSW rural community.
“The Country Mayors Association of NSW has a long and important history of lobbying on behalf of rural residents to all levels of government on issues impacting regional communities,” said Mayor Coupland
“Issues affecting regional, rural and remote NSW communities are uniquely different to our major metropolitan centres that far too often monopolise the lion’s share of available funding and resources. The CMA members represent about the 37% of the state population that require a collective voice to speak on their behalf.”
A general meeting was held after the AGM and agreed in principal on a list of State Election priorities including action in the areas of skills and education, health, roads and transport, water security, housing, law and order, telecommunications black spot coverage and disaster preparedness and funding.
