By JUSTIN FLYNN
City Hall’s new chairwoman is not perturbed that two of the council’s three new administrators are not from Geelong.
Dr Kathy Alexander was sworn in on Wednesday with fellow Melbourne resident Laurinda Garner and Peter Dorling of Barwon Heads to fill the roles of mayor and councillors until the next scheduled council election in October 2017.
“We hear the voice of the community,” Dr Alexander said after the swearing-in ceremony.
“Whilst I am not a local, I will be down here three days a week.
“It’s a big priority for me to ensure we have an effective strategy and to maximise the opportunity for people to have their say.
“Geelong is an asset of the state and is a very important city for the state of Victoria.”
One of the trio’s first big decisions would be approving the City’s budget, Dr Alexander said.
“Balancing the competing demands of any budget is challenging at the best of times as there will never be enough money to fund everything at once.”
Mr Dorling thanked interim administrator Yehudi Blacher for his work since the previous council was sacked in April.
“Yehudi made a great start for us in terms of helping to return public confidence and stability to the City,” Mr Dorling said.
