Cumberland Council is pleased to announce the election of Councillor Ola Hamed as Mayor and Councillor Michael Zaiter as Deputy Mayor of Cumberland Council, following an Extraordinary Meeting of Council on Wednesday, 16 October 2024.
Councillor Ola Hamed, who has served as a Cumberland Councillor for seven years, will lead the Council as Mayor for the next two years.
Commenting on her appointment, Mayor Hamed said it was an honour and privilege to be elected to serve the Cumberland community as Mayor.
“I'm truly honoured to be sworn in as the Mayor of Cumberland City Council and as the first ever Muslim woman of Lebanese heritage. Alongside of course Deputy Mayor Zaiter who also happens to be of Lebanese heritage. Our Labor and our Liberal partnership reflects our commitment to a prosperous future for the residents of Cumberland. One of my immediate priorities is to unify this chamber, and indeed the community, because that's what civic leadership should always be about.” said Mayor Hamed.
“Cumberland's diversity is our greatest asset, and we must celebrate it. I look forward to continuing honouring occasions like Nowruz, Ramadan, Diwali, Lunar New Year, and our major events such as Australia Day, Easter and Christmas.”
“I extend my hand to each and every single one of you. I'm seeking your professionalism and cooperation as we address our shared priorities and challenges. Let's build on the commendable work of former Mayor Lisa Lake, deliver on those key strategies developed in the previous term, which I know she had just worked so hard on. It will take all of us, of course, collaborating despite our differences to make a meaningful impact to this community”.
Additionally, the Mayor welcomed Councillor Michael Zaiter as the newly elected Deputy Mayor.
Deputy Mayor Zaiter expressed his eagerness to serve the Cumberland community in the year ahead.
“I'd like to congratulate you on your election to the Chair, and I'm looking forward to working closely with you as we serve the residents and ratepayers of Cumberland Council.”
“The job of the Councillors tonight is to serve the people of Cumberland. To achieve this, it is important that we manage differences so that we have stability and good governance in this council over the next four years.”
“We at Cumberland are blessed to have a fantastic group of individuals who go out of their way to look after our community. It has been a pleasure to work with them over the many years that I've been a councillor. I look forward to working with them to continue providing positive results for our community.” he said.
Councillors extended their congratulations to both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor on their new roles.
Council’s 15 elected representatives were officially declared by the NSW Electoral Commission in early October following the Local Government elections held on 14 September 2024. Councillors took an Oath of Office during Council’s Extraordinary meeting and will serve the Cumberland community for the next 4 years.
Representing 5 wards across the Local Government Area, Cumberland’s Councillors for the Granville Ward are Councillors Steve Christou, Joseph Rahme and Ola Hamed. Greystanes Ward, Councillors Dr Diane Colman, Eddy Sarkis and Nadima Kafrouni-Saba. Regents Park Ward, Councillors Enver Yasar, Helen Hughes and Steve Yang. South Granville Ward, Councillors Paul Garrard, Ahmed Ouf and Glenn Elmore, and Wentworthville Ward, Councillors Michael Zaiter, Suman Saha and Sujan Selventhiran.
For more information and contact details of the newly elected Mayor and Councillors, please visit: https://www.cumberland.nsw.gov.au/councillors
