New face to lead the District Council of Grant

The District Council of Grant has a new mayor with Kylie Boston ousting incumbent Richard Sage in this month’s South Australian Local Government elections.

The one term councillor, who dipped her toe into local government at the 2018 elections, not only faced the usual anxious wait to see if her mayoral bid was successful but the added complication of a late start to the count due to missing ballot papers.

But once the papers were located and the count was underway, Mrs Boston outlasted Mr Sage to take the top job. With her success still sinking in, Mrs Boston has a simple message for the electorate.

“We (council) will be looking to support our community and our rate payers.”

Just who will be part of the Boston council was still unknown at print time but she was confident it would be a hard working group.

“I’m just excited we (council) thought we needed a change and a lot of other people thought so too,” she said. “We want to draw a line in the sand and put some of the controversy behind us now – we have felt all along that around the table we work together really well.” From her campaign conversations with the community the new mayor has a wish list to start working on once the dust has settled.

“Some things are only really small and some things are bigger picture stuff,” Mrs Boston said. She will be looking to meet with District Council of Grant CEO Darryl Whicker this week to start to build that leadership relationship and the week will also see a newly installed induction process for all councillors to help especially new councillors hit the ground running.

“The Local Government Association does induction training and do a good job but we felt, based on 2018, that you also need to have a similar process to get to know your own council,” Mrs Boston said. “We have worked hard with that feedback over the past month or so and the staff have come up with a great induction program. There will be a meet and greet, a tour of council’s main facilities and setting up the tech stuff.”

Mr Sage was not the only incumbent to be unseated in the Limestone Coast with Patrick Ross to take the top job at the Naracoorte Lucindale Council, taking over from Erika Vickery OAM.

The controversy plagued plebiscite to ascertain interest in investigating an amalgamation between the City of Mount Gambier and the District Council of Grant was heavily weighted in the ‘NO’ camp.

See Kylie Boston’s pitch for mayor below.

After four years as councillor, I have decided it’s time for change, and I believe I offer a fantastic choice to represent you. I love working with people, chatting to you all and trying to get the best possible outcome for everyone. We are a vibrant community made up of many small towns and communities; over the past four years it’s been exciting to work as a councillor and the other elected members to bring positive outcomes as we work hard together to create a great place for us to live, work and play.

The great team at the District Council of Grant has achieved many results over the last four years. While it has been very challenging for everyone during the Covid-19 pandemic, we have continued to deliver

projects along with support for business during this time. It is important that we focus on ratepayers, the core

business of our council and aligning services with their needs and efficient delivery.

It’s exciting to see the airport start to thrive again. The new transformational once in a lifetime generational project that is planned for the Saleyards is very exciting. It’s something this 40-year-old structure needs, while also seeing some of the highest prices for our commodities across much of our Primary Industry sector. With Forestry and Fishing experiencing some difficult times with their markets we hope to see this improve over the coming year.

For those of you that don’t know me, I am a passionate person that loves our small communities. My husband Garry & I have lived in the Yahl district for over 24 years and have raised our family here. Our

small schools are the life of these communities, and my involvement with our local school on both Governing Council & Parent Club, was enjoyable and very rewarding. I continue to be involved in the Yahl community with the Yahl Hall Committee. My passion for sports is something I carried through with my children; with involvement in the Mt Schank Tennis Club (of which I’m a life member), South Gambier Netball Club and Tonique Studio, I’m still very actively involved in our local sporting clubs. I was very honoured in 2018 to receive the Citizen of the Year, something I proudly display in my office.

My other passion is my work. I have a Bachelor of Agriculture Science, Diploma of Horticulture and a Diploma Human Resource Management. I am very proud of what I have achieved over my working career throughout the Southeast across many fields of Primary Industries. I have worked on some fabulous projects and alongside of some inspiring farmers who have achieved much for our local Primary Industries. I truly believe we have some of the most amazing resources in our region. For this reason, it is extremely important that we all work together to achieve the best outcomes for ALL now and into the future. It is exciting to see the review of the Lower Limestone Coast Water Allocation Plan begin, along with the issues that climate change presents to us. Supporting all our local Primary Industries is an important focus for me.

I believe I’m honest, hardworking, inclusive and love being part of a successful team. We need to be open and transparent with all communication, decisions and issues that we deal with. We are very lucky to live in the District Council of Grant. It is such a vibrant collection of small communities; I believe we can achieve much. The upcoming inner townships masterplan will be an important part of the new council’s direction and I look forward watching how this develops and urge everyone to get involved, it is your chance to have a say about your local community.

I’m always happy to chat to you, so don’t hesitate to reach out to me. A colleague introduced me to this quote by Helen Keller it is very powerful: “Alone we do so little, together we can do so much”. I’m looking forward to leading the team at the District Council Grant as Mayor, always working together cohesively to continue to make our community a great place for us to live, work and play.

KYLIE BOSTON