The next 12 months will be veteran councillor Paul Tatchell’s third, and possibly final, stint in the top job at Moorabool council.
The central ward councillor was elected mayor last week with experienced eastern ward councillor John Keogh to serve as deputy mayor.
Cr Tatchell said before last Wednesday’s meeting that this was likely to be his final council term and he hoped to secure more state and federal funding for infrastructure across the shire, with an eye to the growth of Ballarat.
“Council continually needs to be refreshed and so I’ll be happy to leave what I can behind to help set up Moorabool for the future,” he told
Star Weekly.
“We need to break down some barriers that keep Moorabool out of the spotlight.
“There are invisible lines between Moorabool and Melton and Moorabool and Ballarat. We are part of the peri-urban region and we need to be recognised more.
“That’s the immediate goal.”
The Ballan-based councillor was defeated by incumbent Catherine King in July last year when he ran for the National Party for the federal seat of Ballarat.
“Now decentralisation is the new buzzword Moorabool has never been more important,” Cr Tatchell said.
“If Ballarat truly wants to be the capital of western Victoria it needs to expand in all corners and beyond the invisible council line.”
Cr Tatchell most recently served as mayor in 2013 and 2014.
