Latrobe City’s new mayor is determined to see the Valley “be the best it can be”.
And she’s not ruling out any method to meet that end.
Cr Sharon Gibson has vowed to listen to her community and said she won’t be scared to ask questions.
After five years on council, the past three of which were served as deputy mayor, Cr Gibson was endorsed by four of her eight fellow councillors on Monday night to be the region’s mayor for the next 12 months, taking over from Cr Sandy Kam.
She ran against former mayor Kellie O’Callaghan, who was supported by three councillors.
Cr Dale Harriman was voted in as deputy mayor, unopposed.
Cr Gibson now becomes the face of the Latrobe Valley in a tumultuous period for the council, where, along with regular mayoral duties, she will face the challenge of leading a divided group of councillors and coping with the fallout of some unpopular council decisions which she has supported.
While acknowledging there were differences of opinion on council, she described the group of nine as a “family”.
“We’re a team and I’m just looking forward to what we need to do,” Cr Gibson said.
“Some people don’t like one decision, others like another, but as a whole, you are still a family.”
In the wake of recent criticism by former mayor Ed Vermeulen, who is no longer on council, about a lack of advocacy and leadership by Cr Kam, all eyes will be on Cr Gibson’s ability to maintain a strong relationship with state and federal governments.
When The Express spoke to Cr Gibson on Tuesday, she disputed the relationships had been eroded in the past year, but said she had kicked off discussions with council officers about an advocacy strategy.
“Do I think we have always done 100 per cent? No, we are human. There always will be room for improvement,” Cr Gibson said.
“We’ve had conversations today with the officers about putting our strategy together for going to Melbourne, going to Canberra, inviting them down, so we start opening those doors even more so.”
“I don’t want to rule anything out, because if it means jobs for here, let’s do it.”
Cr Gibson has endorsed two of council’s most controversial decisions of the past year: a review of the Moe revitalisation project, and the implementation of a strict new procurement policy.
But Cr Gibson said the decisions were only a “tiny part” of what council had done so far, and when asked if she was willing to compromise on matters she felt strongly about, she said she was “willing to listen”.
“No-one’s ever going to be 100 per cent right.
“The best thing is if there is a problem, you say ‘hang on, this needs to be adjusted’,” she said, referring to a recent move to tweak and audit the new procurement policy.
The Express asked Cr Gibson whether she planned to lobby hard for government support for the Moe project, the federal funding for which is yet to be signed off on.
“Whether it’s that or any of the other projects… you can ask …all I can do is try my best,” she said.
Cr Gibson outlined three priorities for her time as mayor: the attraction and retention of secure jobs; a quicker turnaround of planning permit application, steps for which are already underway; and improvement to the region’s freight rail capacity.
“We need to really look towards what we can do to make our city vibrant and stand out amongst the rest so that we are the destination for jobs,” she said.
“I also want the calibre of planning applications, for them to be first class. You don’t want developments that in years to come, you’re getting complaints from the residents.”
Cr Gibson, a mother of two, was elected to council five years ago after time as a vocal secretary of the Moe Traders Association and then-Merton Ward Residents Association.
“My opinion was I didn’t like what was happening (on council). I thought, you either put up, or you shut up, so that’s why I put my hand up,” she said.
A proud Latrobe Valley resident, Cr Gibson’s family has had a long-standing presence in the Moe-Newborough community, but she said it was time away from the Valley that helped her truly appreciate its potential.
“In my 20s I shifted to Perth for 12 months, then Sydney for three years. It was invaluable that time,” she said.
“It helped show me different ways we could improve here, what assets we have, because sometimes living in your area all your life, you don’t appreciate what’s on the back doorstep.
“I grew up with ‘the dam’, is what we knew it as,” she said, referring to Lake Narracan.
“And when I came back I saw that it’s the jewel in the crown of the Latrobe Valley.”
Cr Gibson said she wanted to be the kind of mayor who left the Valley in a “better position”.
“We have so much going for us here, I’d love that all capitalised on,” she said.
“I love the community so I would love to see this community to be the best it can be and if I have the privilege to help that occur, that would be something that I will forever be proud of.”
