McIntosh passes the baton

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor,

In the recent Mayoral elections for the City of Ballarat, I did not stand for re-election.

I want to publicly congratulate Cr Ben Taylor as the new Mayor of our city.  My best wishes extend to our new deputy-mayor, Cr Belinda Coates.

I remain as a Councillor and intend to keep working hard for the people of Ballarat.

As a Mayor of a major regional Council, the work we do resonates and impacts with our neighbouring councils and regions.  I know many of your readers are from these councils, such as Moorabool, Golden Plains and Hepburn.

As mayor, and as Chair of Regional Cities Australia, I was very conscious that my voice and work penetrated beyond the City of Ballarat boundaries.

But my key message today is to thank those hundreds of people who have sent me well wishes over the past couple of weeks.

I don’t do my role as a councillor for thanks, I do it because I see a need.  And because I love this region of ours. I want to enable its prosperity in every way.

But it is genuinely humbling to receive such acknowledgement – and in such volume.

So, it is my turn to say thank you to the people.

Thanks also to the quite achievers at Town Hall who don’t get headlines, but get the job done.

Cr Samantha McIntosh

Central Ward

City of Ballarat