A New Councillor and New Mayor By Moreen Dainty
The Surf Coast Shire Council elections last November resulted in some big changes, with seven new councillors voted in. One of Anglesea Ward's newly elected was Libby Stapleton, who was also voted in as Mayor a few days later. I interviewed Libby to find out how all this came about, her plans for the future, and what the first few months have been like. When we meet, I sense something is bothering her. She bites her lip, pauses and then leans forward ever so slightly. “By the way, you'll have to work this into your piece somewhere.” “Okay.” I wait. “This interview wasn't my idea. I felt quite awkward when they suggested it.” “Who?” “The NewsAngle editorial committee. They insisted … and I eventually agreed – so long as the focus wasn't on me.”
As I write, it strikes me this is just the kind of thing that the Libby Stapleton I know, would say and do. I first met Libby through Aireys Book Club. Hers is one of several intelligent voices I have listened to over the years. Others know Libby through her management of the Aireys Inlet Market, or through her communications consultancy and editorship of NewsAngle, or just through her involvement in local life on the coast with her family for the past 18 years. When she decided to stand for Council, many of us encouraged her to 'go for it'. When 'Our Libby' won, folk felt they had voted in someone who knew and understood them, someone they could rely on and trust. I don't say this lightly. Such qualities seem hard to find these days. And it turns out the other newly elected councillors must have felt the same way. “It wasn't my intention to put my hand up for Mayor,” said Libby. “Rose Hodge had very ably filled this position for the past couple of years, but she and 12
Surf Coast Shire Mayor Libby Stapleton (second from left) in one of her first official duties, opening the Jan Juc Surf Life Saving Club last December, alongside Senator Sarah Henderson, local member for South Barwon, Darren Cheeseman, and young surf life savers.
other councillors felt it was time for someone new. “I was also in a position to adjust my work commitments and give the role the time that's required.” It’s been a steep learning curve for the new councillors. The Surf Coast Shire Council is the eighth largest in Victoria and one of the fastest growing. Home to 10 distinct townships, the Shire has a population of around 34,000 people and a local economy estimated (pre-COVID) to be worth over $1.3 billion. The administrative arm of Council oversees the provision of more than 100 services, from public health, roads, planning and land use, to tourism economic development and events. The councillors attend weekly briefings about the core activities of Council, and have undertaken training on decisionmaking processes, as well as their roles and responsibilities as elected officials. “It's been pretty hectic. Some days it feels like we haven't even scratched the surface. There are roughly 450 staff managing the day-to-day operations of council in our community, so there is a lot to get our heads around,” Libby said.
The role of the elected council officials is to help set the overall direction for the municipality, through long-term planning and decision making. It adopts a strategic view of the future and makes plans and policies to achieve this. The local councillors are a bit like a Board of Directors, except the key shareholders are the residents and ratepayers of the Surf Coast community. The Council organisation is headed by a CEO and a senior team of General Managers. “As Mayor, I oversee the relationship between Councillors and the CEO. We help set the vision and strategic direction for Council and are much less involved in the day-to-day operations. “In the early days, I had quite a lot of people get in touch with individual issues they wanted me to fix. I understand why, but it's hard for Councillors to be across everything. “The best way is to go online and use the Council's Customer Request System. It's actually much more efficient because the issue is logged and sent to the right Council staff who aim to respond within 48 hours. I’m not usually that quick! “You can also request if you want me or your local Councillor to be kept in
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