Moloney backed for second term

CITY of Ballarat mayor Cr Daniel Moloney and his deputy Cr Amy Johnson will keep their roles for twelve more months after being re-elected by their councillor colleagues on Monday evening.

After an “anything but normal” 18 months, Cr Moloney said he’s looking forward to leading the city through a “rare” second term, as businesses and activities are revived, and other big elections loom.

“It’s really important we have a consistent leadership team. We’ve got a great CEO in place, and the same mayor and deputy mayor as we carry through into the Federal and State elections,” he said.

“We’ve made a lot of State and Federal connections, have built up rapport, they’re aware of our projects, and we’ll be going in pretty strong in the new year to make sure Ballarat’s well looked after.”

Cr Moloney said he won’t be running for mayor again in 2022, but in the meantime, there’s some burning issues he wants to see addressed.

“The community has been very clear that they want us to do better when it comes to the environment and sustainability.

“We’ve made some great progress in the last 12 months, but we need to do a lot more in the coming months, so this will be a focus of our second year of council,” he said.

“I’d like to be well progressed, if not near finished with the Bridge Mall. People will look to that as a landmark change. I also want to see more people living in the CBD… providing a ready market for all those businesses that really do need the passing trade.”

Cr Johnson said she’s “thrilled” to have the faith of her councillor colleagues for another term, in an “incredibly challenging” period for Ballarat.

“With restrictions easing, it’s an exciting time for our city. We’re seeing a significant number of tourists… coming into the city to visit our destinations, cafes and restaurants,” she said.

“We have an exciting 12 months ahead of us, but I am conscious of how tough the last two years have been on residents of our city, and the fact we need to make sure we’re supporting them, especially given the mental health challenges that many people have faced.”

Ahead of the State and Federal elections in 2022, Cr Johnson said she will be lobbying for funding for the Ballarat Link Road and Ballarat Regional Animal Shelter, and encouraging the City to reduce carbon emissions and invest in renewable energy.