Faith Macale
Melton’s new councillors are ready to get down to business.
The city’s 10 new councillors were sworn in on Monday November 11.
They will next meet on Thursday November 21 for the election of the mayor and deputy mayor and setting of the 2025 meeting schedule.
First time councillor Phillip Zada, who represents Mount Atkinson, said he was raring to go and get things done.
Before becoming a councillor, Mr Zada ran his own IT services company.
“I’ve got a PhD in innovation, so I’m always thinking of better ways to do things or more innovative ways to solve a problem,” he said.
“I suppose what made me want to jump into council is speaking to the community, being engaged with the community and just hearing about the challenges that they’re facing and just sitting back and saying, ‘Surely, there’s gotta be a better way to do it’.
“How can we help them in ways that just work, and that’s what I’m going to try to bring to the table.”
Mr Zada is determined to use his IT background to help Melton thrive.
“It’s just being able to think outside the box,” he said.
“I think my greatest asset is having the background where I’ve run my own business for over a decade now.
“I’ve worked with the federal government, state government, and just having that insight into how governments work, I think will also give me a bit of a leg up.”
Despite not wanting to be a politician, new Hilltop Ward councillor John Verdon knew the only way to make a difference was to get involved.
Mr Verdon’s background is in the Department of Education and he intends to put his experience to good use to help his constituents.
“I don’t want to be a politician. I only put my hand out because I felt there were gaps, and I thought I could make a difference,” he said.
“I’m very proud of the work that I do in the Department of Education because I can make a real difference to the lives of young children.
“It really tries to look after the most vulnerable and make sure they get every opportunity that anyone else has got and it’s just such an extraordinarily rewarding career that I have.
“I’m very lucky to have that experience. It does give me unique insight about how I can potentially inform the council about how to make the most out of not just education, but the Department of Transport, the Department of Justice, the Department of Health.”
