Mayoral Column - 30 March 2022

Published on 30 March 2022

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lotta Jackson, who resigned as General Manager of Cessnock City Council this month. I would like to thank her for her service to both Council and the Cessnock Local Government Area and wish her the best for the future. Lotta had the difficult job of leading the organisation during a period of unprecedented challenges, including catastrophic bushfires, major flooding and the COVID-19 pandemic. Council’s Director of Corporate and Community Services, Robert Maginnity, has been appointed to act in the role of General Manager until recruitment for an interim or permanent replacement occurs.

As a Council, we must move forward and ensure we are delivering for our community. I am hearing loud and clear that the condition of our roads is a key concern, and I want to assure residents, addressing this issue is one of my top priorities as Mayor. We will work to continue to seek funding opportunities for road improvement projects across the LGA. We have a big job ahead of us and I look forward to working with Councillors and staff to ensure Cessnock City Council is a proactive and productive organisation that continues to deliver positive outcomes for residents of the Cessnock LGA.

On the topic of roads, Council crews are continuing to assess the impact on the road network and repair damages from the recent flood event, which has been significant in the Wollombi area. Just last week, Council partnered with Resilience NSW to host a series of pop-up recovery hubs, aimed at providing affected residents with support, information and advice. I must say, while it was a good outcome Cessnock was declared a natural disaster area, I was extremely disappointed to hear that Cessnock was one of only a few LGAs not included in the full federal funding package. While the scale of the disaster was smaller than other regions, the impact on individuals is the same. I have made contact with Joel Fitzgibbon MP and Clayton Barr MP to raise my concerns about this and I’m hoping that together we can get the extra funding for those affected.