New Maribyrnong mayor Nam Quach has vowed to improve the council’s performance during his year at the helm.
The Stony Creek ward councillor was elected at a special meeting of council last Wednesday night, edging out Labor councillor Martin Zakharov four votes to three.
Cr Quach and the three other independent councillors again banded together to freeze out Labor, which held a stranglehold over Maribyrnong until the 2012 election.
Cr Quach takes the mayoral reins from fellow first-time councillor Grant Miles.
“We’re exactly halfway through our four-year term and I think we’re doing OK, but there’s plenty of room for improvement,” he said.
“We’ve almost finished building a new library and community hub in Braybrook and we’ve activated more truck curfews in Footscray and Yarraville.”
Cr Quach spoke of a bright future for the area but of the need to tackle issues such as growing youth unemployment, problem gambling, domestic violence, closing the infrastructure gap and fixing Footscray Hospital.
“My vision is for a city with a world-class hospital,” he said. “Footscray Hospital has been neglected for decades with 60-year-old buildings still operating with no upgrades.
“I no longer want to see our city’s most vulnerable being treated like doormats, and I say it is time for this to change.”
Cr Quach also called for the community to band together to reject bigotry and prejudice.
“I offer my words of leadership to say all races, faces, creeds, colors and religions are welcome in our great city,” he said.
River ward councillor Cameron McDonald was elected unopposed as deputy mayor.
