Whittlesea council’s new mayor, Ricky Kirkham, has vowed to tackle family violence and lobby for construction of a Hume Freeway and O’Herns Road interchange while he’s in office.
The north ward councillor was elected unopposed as mayor for 2014-15 at a special meeting of council last Wednesday.
At 25, he is Whittlesea council’s youngest mayor.
The Doreen resident and councillor of two years will take a year’s leave from his role as an advisor with the Department of Defence to focus his efforts on the demanding role ahead.
In his acceptance speech, he thanked outgoing mayor Mary Lalios for her support and service to the municipality.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with Mary, a strong mentor, over the last two years,” he said.
“She’s a woman of integrity and works tirelessly for the betterment of the City of Whittlesea.”
Cr Kirkham outlined his intentions for the year ahead, including holding politicians to their pre-election promises.
“As mayor, I will continue to promote greater awareness of family violence while working with agency partners and government to develop a service system to address this issue,” he said.
“As a community, we all have roles to play to ensure people are safe in their homes.”
South ward councillor Norm Kelly was elected unopposed as deputy mayor.
Councillors also voted against extending the mayoral term to two years.
