Changing Face of Melville Council

Cr Subramaniam said he was honoured and privileged to have been given the opportunity to serve as a Deputy Mayor on the Melville Council. “My position will be a very supportive role to the Mayor and the Council – and I will help represent the City when the Mayor is not available. I hope to engage with as many communities as possible within the City, as well as with other elected members and the City’s staff,” he said.

“I have an extremely varied background due to my extensive and long-standing involvement in federal, local and community-based organisations like the Ministerial Multicultural Advisory Council, Federation of Ethnic Communities Council, Health Consumers Council, Lions Club, Neighbourhood Watch, and Celebrate WA. I would like to engage these networks with the City to help improve the decision-making process and guide our future direction as one of the most liveable cities in the world,” he said.

Mayor Russell Aubrey said he was pleased Cr Subramaniam had been elected as his deputy. “He is a person I have worked closely with for more than 10 years. I am confident in his intent to serve the community and we understand each other’s strengths and motivations. He has been rewarded with an Order of Australia for his work in the community and he shares my vision to make Melville an even better place to live,” he said.

Newly elected Councillors Peter Reidy, June Barton (re-elected unopposed), Clive Robartson (re-elected), Effie Nicholson, Bob Kinnell and Nicole Foxton also took their Declaration of Office at Monday night’s meeting.

Mayor Aubrey welcomed the new and re-elected councillors while also recognising outgoing Councillors Patricia Phelan and Duncan MacPhail as well as Cr Harvey Everett – who retired prior to the election. “The new Council has big shoes to fill in replacing four former Deputy Mayors and following on from the City’s success in winning its category in the United Nations-endorsed International Liveable Communities Awards. Although the learning curve may be steep, I am optimistic they will soon grasp the complexities of representing the interests of the whole of the City and work effectively in harmony with our other experienced Council members and staff,” he said.

Councillors Nicholas Pazolli, Guy Wieland, Rasa Subramaniam, Tony Ceniviva, Bob Kinnell and Mark Reynolds will serve on the Financial Management, Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee, with the remaining Councillors serving as deputies.

And Councillors Peter Reidy, June Barton, Clive Robartson, Effie Nicholson, Christine Halton and Nicole Foxton will serve on the Governance Committee, with the other Councillors being deputies.

Mayor Aubrey will serve on both committees.