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Mayor and Councillors

Cumberland City Council has 15 Councillors representing 5 wards across the Local Government Area.

The 2021 Local Government elections were held on 4 December 2021, where residents voted to elect 15 Councillors for the Cumberland City Local Government Area (LGA).

Following the Extraordinary Meeting on Wednesday 12 January 2022, Councillor Lisa Lake was elected as the new Mayor of Cumberland City until no later than midnight 30 September 2023, alongside Councillor Kun Huang who was elected as the new Deputy Mayor until 28 September 2022.

Following the Ordinary Council Meeting on Wednesday 28 September 2022, Councillor Suman Saha was elected as the new Deputy Mayor. 

Following the Ordinary Council Meeting on Wednesday 27 September 2023, Councillor Lisa Lake was re-elected as the Mayor and Councillor Ola Hamed was elected as the new Deputy Mayor.

Meet your Councillors in the:

You can also download a detailed map of the Wards with the representing Councillors.

 


Granville Ward

Councillor Steve Christou

Phone: 0419 651 187

As a previous Mayor of Cumberland City Council and having worked for a federal member of parliament for close to 10 years, Steve specialises in a large range of constituent matters. Steve has a good understanding of policy, logistics, and experience with most federal, state, and Council matters namely Centrelink, child support, immigration, Medicare, family law, internet connectivity, housing, development regulations.

Steve has a strong connection with local sporting clubs and regularly liaises with constituent groups, sporting organisations, members of parliament and foreign dignitaries along with relevant national governing bodies, to assist and provide desired outcomes for the residents of Cumberland and its organisations.


Councillor Ola Hamed (Deputy Mayor)

Phone: 0405 070 007

Clr Hamed is a long-term Cumberland resident, who is proudly raising her two children with her husband in Merrylands. She has been involved in many community organisations, assisting families and their children.

Clr Hamed has a passion for social justice and equality and as a local resident, knows what is needed for the Cumberland area. Ola is committed to working with the community to make a difference.


Councillor Joseph Rahme

Phone: 0418 995 471

Clr Rahme holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce majoring in accounting and finance from the University of NSW. He is currently a Certified Practising Accountant, member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and JP.

Clr Rahme is a lifelong resident of Granville which he is passionate about. He continues to raise his young family in Granville and is committed to making the Granville Ward a better place for families and residents.

 


Greystanes Ward

Councillor Diane Colman

Phone: 0400 279 200

Dr Diane Colman, a lecturer at Western Sydney University, is passionate about ensuring equality for all Cumberland residents.

Diane has lived locally all her life, raised her two daughters here and understands our area. Councillor Colman is a strong and influential voice for building a fair and thriving local community.


Councillor Greg Cummings

Phone: 0417 612 717

Clr Cummings has previously served as Mayor and Councillor for the Greystanes ward on the former Holroyd City Council. He was elected as the first Mayor of Cumberland since inception in 2017.

Clr Cummings has been instrumental in the initiation of the Workplace Tragedy Memorial, the asbestos awareness campaign, and Reconciliation Day. He strives to represent his constituents and is passionate about local issues.


Councillor Eddy Sarkis

Phone: 0425 348 000

Clr Sarkis is a proud father of 4 and a Greystanes resident for over 40 years. As a Councillor on the former Holroyd City Council and now Cumberland City Council, Eddy has been serving his local community for over 18 years.

Eddy is a local business operator who specialises in property and vocational training. Eddy is a keen advocate for the community in all local matters, no matter how small, simple or complex they may be.

 


Regents Park Ward

Councillor Kun Huang

Phone: 0418 911 774

Clr Huang comes from a public policy and administration background. He is a long-term resident of Auburn and is passionate about the environment, local planning, youth, and culturally and linguistically diverse community engagement.

Clr Huang continues to be a strong advocate for greater community empowerment, accountability, and transparency at all levels of the Council decision-making process.


Councillor Sabrin Farooqui OAM

Phone: 0400 322 999

Dr. Sabrin Farooqui is a passionate advocate for human rights, social justice and cultural diversity. She has worked for private and public sectors, in higher education, research and policy. Her aim is to deliver appropriate policies that will improve the lives of local communities by representing their views and needs to the government.


Councillor Helen Hughes

Phone: 0400 264 534

Helen Hughes is a life-long resident of Lidcombe, as teenager she volunteered at a range of organisations and groups, a passion that has carried into her adult life. Clr Hughes has a strong interest in community matters and is passionate about creating change.

Clr Hughes is currently a corporate Governance Officer and has a history in local government, education, and board secretariat roles.

 


South Granville Ward

Councillor Glenn Elmore

Phone: 0418 459 527

Clr Elmore is a long-term resident of Cumberland stemming from four generations of his family having also lived in the area. He was educated at a local school and the University of Sydney.

Clr Elmore is passionate about Cumberland and improving the quality of life by consulting with residents on decision making to improve the safety, wellbeing, and local infrastructure in Cumberland and providing employment opportunities and support for seniors.


Councillor Paul Garrard

Phone: 0414 504 504

Clr Garrard lives locally and was educated at Benedict College, Auburn.

After serving as Lord Mayor of Parramatta, he was elected to the newly formed council of Cumberland and was re-elected in 2021.

Clr Garrard has a keen focus on promoting the resident character of local neighbourhoods.


Councillor Mohamad Hussein

Phone: 0400 281 726

Clr Hussein lives locally in Cumberland and serves as a first-time councillor in Cumberland City Council since the elections

Mohamad is passionate about issues affecting his constituents and the Cumberland local area and is committed to helping make it the best place to live, work and visit.

 


Wentworthville Ward

Councillor Suman Saha

Phone: 0419 546 950

Suman has lived in the Cumberland area since 2005 with his family. He was first elected as councillor in 2017 and continues to work towards a diverse, inclusive, and active community.

With a degree in accounting, Suman understands the importance of strong economic management and works hard to keep the community’s assets from being sold off. He continues to advocate for local road safety improvements, improved service delivery, local parks and playground upgrades. As a father, Suman has a genuine interest in ensuring that his family and your family grow up in a safe, supportive and caring community.


Councillor Lisa Lake (Mayor)

Phone: 0418 669 681

Clr Lake has been a Cumberland Councillor since inception in 2017 and previously served as a Councillor on the former Holroyd City Council. She holds Bachelor degrees in Law and Economics, has practised as a solicitor, mainly in Parramatta and has lived in Wentworthville for over 30 years.

Clr Lake supports policies and plans which foster social inclusion, equality of opportunity, sustainable development, affordable housing, local business development and job creation.


Councillor Michael Zaiter

Phone: 0418 432 797

Clr Zaiter is a chartered accountant with local government audit experience.

He has a degree in taxation and a Master of Commerce.

He served as a councillor on Holroyd City Council and has been a councillor on Cumberland City Council since 2017.  He is passionate about ensuring that families and ratepayers receive value for money and the services that they deserve.


Councillor expenses

The Councillor Expenses and Facilities Policy (PDF, 148KB) has been prepared in accordance with the Local Government Act 1993 (the Act) and Local Government (General) Regulation 2005 (the Regulation), and complies with the Office of Local Government’s Guidelines for the payment of expenses and provision of facilities to Mayors and Councillors in NSW.

The policy advises that detailed reports on the provision of expenses and facilities to Councillors will be publicly tabled at a Council meeting every 6 months and published in full on Council’s website. These reports will include expenditure summarised by an individual Councillor and as a total for all Councillors.

Report

View the Councillor Expenses Report for year ending 30 June 2023 (PDF, 177KB)


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