The NSW Electoral Commission has declared the outcome for Wollondilly’s Mayoral election, returning Matt Gould as popularly elected Mayor for the new term of Council with a strong vote of confidence from the community.
The father of three and proud lifelong resident of Warragamba/Silverdale has been a Wollondilly Councillor since 2016, serving as Deputy Mayor in 2018-20 and as Wollondilly’s first popularly elected Mayor in the last term of Council.
Mayor Gould said he was honoured by the high level of support he and his team received from the community and was humbled by the result.
“Thank you to everyone who voted for me and my team in the September election. It is deeply humbling and I am determined to keep working hard for the next four years to make sure that support is deserved,” he said.
“This coming term is hugely important for the future of our Shire as the population growth in our NSW Government mandated growth areas takes off exponentially, meaning we will have to focus our efforts on securing infrastructure and jobs for these areas as we also enhance our existing towns and villages and all that we love about Wollondilly.
“I am really looking forward to working with the newly formed Council, including the new faces who I’m sure will bring some fresh ideas to the table and the returning Councillors who are all strongly committed to the people of Wollondilly.
“I will keep working hard to make sure that Wollondilly receives the infrastructure it needs as we manage the growth challenges we are facing, whilst protecting the unique village character and semi-rural lifestyle that we all love about the Shire.
“I will work with Councillors and staff to continue the record investments into our roads to address the historic backlog of work on the Shire’s 890km road network, and advocate for the NSW Government to take responsibility for our major connecting roads as they do in our neighbouring LGAs.
“We will continue to expand and update community and sporting facilities across the Shire and work to bring all the Shire’s halls back to operational condition.
“I plan to continue campaigning for things like public transport, health facilities and schools for our existing and new residents, to make sure that we have what we need for a healthy, thriving community.
“Recognising that agriculture and tourism are core pillars of the Wollondilly economy, I want to protect and extend viable agriculture and support our local farmers and small business owners, while tapping in to the massive tourism potential of our beautiful Shire.”
The new Mayor and Councillors will go through an induction process and will be publicly sworn on 8 October, with the first Ordinary meeting of Council scheduled for 29 October.
