MELBOURNE’S west is dominated by female mayors after Angela Altair last week became the fifth woman elected to lead a municipality.
Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Melton, Moonee Valley and Wyndham now have a woman at the helm.
“Every western suburbs council is now led by a female mayor,” said Cr Altair following her election.
Brimbank is in administration and won’t go to the polls until 2015.
Only Moorabool bucked the trend, electing Pat Toohey as mayor. However, the shire finally has a woman on board. Previously, the council was made up of seven men, all over the age of 40. Cr Tonia Dudzik, one of two women who stood for election, received more primary votes than any other candidate.
Cr Altair, who was Hobsons Bay mayor 10 years ago, is serving her fifth term in office after being elected to the council in 1999, when she was the sole female councillor.
At last year’s Think Women For Local Government forum in Altona, Cr Altair revealed that in 2008 she had sacrificed a second shot at the mayoralty because of her friendship with fellow Strand ward (then Williamstown ward) councillor Peter Hemphill and a deal made with him. Last week, Cr Hemphill nominated her for mayor.
The number of women on Hobsons Bay Council doubled from two to four — dominating the seven-member council. Luba Grigorovitch was elected deputy.
Hobsons Bay has two male councillors and one intersex
councillor.
In neighbouring Maribyrnong, Catherine Cumming has for the first time in 15 years on council become mayor. “I’m proud to become mayor on my own two feet and based on my experience and merit,” she said. But she said it was disappointing that Maribyrnong was now represented by only two female councillors out of seven, down from three last term.
Cr Kathy Majdlik has taken up the mayoralty in Melton after two terms in 2009 and 2010 as deputy.
Narelle Sharpe, in her second term on council, was elected mayor of Moonee Valley. Heather Marcus was elected Wyndham’s mayor for the second time.
The Victorian Local Governance Association says women now make up 34 per cent of councillors, up 5 per cent from 2008, and 27 of 78 mayors are women. For the first time every council has at least one woman.
— With staff reporters
