North Adelaide Councillor Mary Couros commences in the role of Deputy Lord Mayor today – meaning two women have leadership roles for the City of Adelaide for the first time since 1999.
Deputy Lord Mayor Couros was elected unanimously by her colleagues at the November Council meeting. Current Deputy Lord Mayor Alex Hyde’s term ended yesterday.
Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor thanked Councillor Hyde for his service and welcomed Mary Couros to the role.
“As the youngest Deputy Lord Mayor the city has ever had, Alex has set a fine example for young people wanting to get involved in public office,” said the Lord Mayor.
“Alex has been a strong support to me in the role and achieved a great deal in his term as Deputy Lord Mayor through hard work and his passion for the city.
“Mary, who was also newly elected in 2018, is a passionate advocate for businesses and residents in North Adelaide and the city and will carry out her duties as Deputy Lord Mayor with distinction.
“This is the first time in more than 20 years we have had both a female Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor and I look forward to working with Mary as Council works hard to support our community and our businesses to recover from the impacts of Covid-19.”
Deputy Lord Mayor Couros said it was an exciting opportunity and she was humbled that all Councillors voted to elect her as Deputy Lord Mayor for 2021.
“It is an honour to serve as Deputy Lord Mayor to the most diverse council in the City of Adelaide’s history,” said the Deputy Lord Mayor.
“In 2020 we had the youngest Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Hyde and I am looking forward to working with Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor through our recovery of the pandemic.
“It is inspiring to have two women leading the chamber for the first time in so many years. As a child of immigrants that grew up in the city supporting my parents business, this sends a clear message to everyone out there that no matter your gender, age or your upbringing, if you have a passion and are prepared to work hard anything is possible.
“It has always been my belief that our city should be a sustainable city, recognised worldwide as a forward-thinking economic and cultural centre.
“There is a lot of work to be done in 2021 to support our community through the recovery phase and how we will shape our city to still be vibrant and active under COVID conditions.
“As Deputy Lord Mayor I want to support the Lord Mayor and the City of Adelaide through this crisis so we can build a foundation for bigger and better growth for our capital city.”
