New Whittlesea mayor Lawrie Cox has urged his fellow councillors to treat the community, council staff and each other with respect – and called out online abuse directed at councillors.
Cr Cox was elected mayor for 2025-26 on Tuesday 18 November, ahead of Cr David Lenberg.
Outgoing mayor Martin Taylor did not nominate for the position despite announcing his re-election bid in a 856-word Facebook post on 15 November.
Cr Blair Colwell was selected as the city’s deputy mayor over Cr Michael Labrador – who was elected to council just three months ago.
This Cr Cox’s second time in the mayor’s chair, having been Whittlesea mayor in 2018-19, while he also served as president of the Shire of Whittlesea in 1982.
Speaking following his election as mayor, Cr Cox said Whittlesea was a diverse community.
“Many of us have joined this great Australian community but we are all equal in standing. And I think that is important to understand in terms of respecting our community and the people who elected us,” he said.
“There are also many faiths … but no matter where you come from or the faith you have, you are all to be treated with respect.”
He also spoke of the need for councillors to treat council staff – and each other – with respect, and called out those who attack councillors online.
“Councillors are creatures of the state … we are not recognised as a separate level in the constitution,” Cr Cox said.
“So many people don’t understand that we are directly governed by state acts and we have to comply to those requirements.
“Too many attack local government unfortunately at the moment because they fail to understand that.
“It is easy to yell at a computer screen or punch the keyboard. I don’t accept that and I don’t accept abuse or false claims without evidence.
“This applies to all councillors and all employees of the City of Whittlesea.”
Cr Cox also took time to pay tribute to councillors, shire secretaries and council chief executives he had worked with over the years, and took aim at decisions made by the previous council which was dismissed by the local government minister in March 2020.
“Cr Tom Joseph was my deputy when I was mayor in 2018 and he was not elected the mayor, and unfortunately he was, in my view, treated poorly,” he said.
“I do want to acknowledge that his service was valuable, and in particular to the Indian community, and would have been our first Indian mayor and I think that is something that should have been acknowledged at the time.
“Simon Overland, was a history that is part of the dismissed council.
“He did an excellent job as far as I was concerned but that wasn’t a jointly held view by others.
“I felt he was treated unfairly.”
Reflecting on his years as a councillor, Cr Cox noted that some councillors he had served with in the past had died and been honoured by having reserves named after them, while he and Frank Merlino remained the only two living people to have been shire president and city mayor.
He said he has lived in Whittlesea for almost 50 years.
“And I look forward to continuing my time living in the municipality until they carry me out.”
