Cr Mark Radford installed as Mayor for 2019-2020
Published on 07 November 2019
Cr Mark Radford has been elected Horsham Rural City Council Mayor for a second consecutive year.
The Quantong resident and local electrician has served as a Councillor continuously since 2008 and enters his third term as Mayor. His first stint was in 2014-2015 before he was elected for a second term in 2018-2019.
Elected unopposed, Cr Radford thanked fellow Councillors and Council staff at Thursday’s Statutory Meeting.
“To Anne (Radford) and all of the partners of Councillors, we say thank you for your support. There are many nights out and many hours of reading and preparation that takes us away from other things that we could, or maybe should, be doing,” Cr Radford said in his acceptance speech.
“To my fellow Councillors, thank you for what you do in our community. In a world of free-opinion-sharing, the local Councillor is often in the spotlight of criticism. This can be difficult. But I know that each of you is giving your Councillor Role your best effort amid your own personal circumstances and commitments. I do, honestly hope, that our last year together will both be productive and enjoyable,” he said.
Cr Radford read from the 1920s book Horsham Illustrated, and pointed to modern similarities in the aspirations of Local Government from that era.
“There is always plenty to do and never enough funds to do it all,” he said.
“The State and Federal Governments recognise this and are supporting our Municipality in tangible ways. The value of Government grants should never be underestimated to do those things, to build those things and provide services and opportunities that a finite rate base simply could never afford.
“When comparing to 100 years ago some things are fundamentals for Council... lighting of the streets, maintenance of the roads, dealing with waste and drainage and providing recreation and cultural spaces for residents and visitors. As for the train services... well we are still working on that one. And the “leafy town” has our outdoor staff working on our Horsham Shade Project. The improvements to the road network and the main arteries of traffic, talked about a century ago, are currently the subject of some important planning work.
“Using the Council Plan as a guide, this Council will start to formulate the next Budget in a few weeks’ time. The fundamental catch phrase for this group of Councillors has been to make our Municipality a great place to live, work, play and invest. To that end we will keep on working,” Cr Radford said.