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This article was published on Tuesday, 24 November, 2015. The information contained within may be out of date or inaccurate. News articles and media releases older than 60 days are archived for future reference.

A brand new Mayor for Greater Shepparton

Cr Fern Summer was elected Deputy Mayor.

This is Cr Adem’s first term as a Councillor and first term as Mayor.

Cr Adem gave the following address at tonight's special meeting;

Firstly, I sincerely thank all Councillors, for showing faith in me to lead this Council for the next 11 months. It is truly a great honour to be entrusted with such an important role, and even a greater privilege to fulfil this role in my home town.

I would like to thank the outgoing Mayor Dennis Patterson for his efforts over the past 12 months, and for his genuine concern for all members of our community.

I would also like to personally welcome on board our new CEO Peter Harriott, who will be commencing his role in early January, and look forward to working closely with him.

With this honour though, comes great responsibility. A responsibility to not just listen empathetically to all the community, but to work collectively with councillors, and staff to best deliver the wishes of the community.

Whilst this isn't always easy, it has indeed been an interesting experience listening and learning how good outcomes can be achieved, by the active contribution and positive interaction of councillors, staff, and the community to any discussions or debate.

I believe this current council is a relatively good cross section of our Greater Shepparton community. We have a professional nurse, and a parent of preschool children, two self employed business people, another one being a highly respected officer of the law, another, a recently retired teacher and business woman, whilst one more being extremely experienced and highly credentialed in both local government and in multicultural affairs.

My own experience has taken me from a farm, to working for multi-national corporations, as well as owning and operating my own business. These varied experiences and backgrounds must, and often do generate different views on many issues facing Council. These differences should not only be accepted, but in fact expected and encouraged by the Mayor of any council. To have anything less than a variety of opinions and views should be viewed suspiciously by the community.

As Mayor, I can assure all councillors and the community that no debate or discussion will be entered into with a pre-determined, immovable, obstinate or inflexible position. We all may have a view based on what prior knowledge we may have on a particular issue, but I welcome that view to be challenged, and potentially changed with a considered and fact based argument. The Local Government act states that the Mayor of any municipality shall provide leadership for councillors and the entire organisation. I do believe as Councillors we are already leaders in our own right. We have all been elected to represent our constituents because of our passion and willingness to stand up and be counted.

As Mayor I will to strive to ensure that the environment in which all staff and Councillor’s work in, is one of transparency, fairness, and equal opportunity for all. Only an environment such as this, can give the community confidence that they also are being treated with the same transparency, fairness, and equal opportunity.

I will endeavour to the best of my ability, to carry out all the duties described in the Mayoral role description, respecting all the Councillors and the community’s views and aspirations.

In carrying out this role, I will be committed to protecting the reputation of the entire Council organisation, and of Greater Shepparton in general. Like all Councillors, I am passionate and protective about where I was born and raised, and where I choose to live.

I am confident that I have both the people skills and temperament, and just as importantly the desire, to be able to work with all levels within our own organisation, with all community groups, and with State and Federal Government representatives as opportunities arise.

I am a great supporter of promoting and encouraging international business opportunities, especially in the Asia region, whether they be agricultural, or tourism based, or a combination of both.

Due to not only China's but all of southeast Asia's rapid economic expansion, our part of the world is on the cusp of great economic change. As a Council, we must be future fit to capitalize on this change in securing our local economy, which in turn will assist in securing our ability to deliver the services that our community wants and needs.

A strong local economy, where everyone who wants a job can get one, is at the very core of the wellbeing of our community. If this can be achieved, which I firmly believe it can, then the resultant prosperity will further drive our commercial, residential and cultural expansion.

I am also a great believer in persistence, I know that previous Mayors, have been very active in continually advocating for our fair share of State and Federal funding, and I can assure councillors and the community that I will continue to be persistent, in championing Greater Shepparton's cause at every opportunity to anyone who will listen, and to those who initially may not.

Finally to my fellow councillors, I thank you again, and will return the faith you have shown in me, by having full confidence in your individual support, and in our collective ability to work selflessly as a cohesive team for the advancement of our municipality.

I pledge here today that I always have, and will continue to have only the interests of Greater Shepparton at heart.