It is 300 days today since I was given the privilege to be Mayor, and so far it has been an incredible journey of learning, meeting countless amazing people, collecting wisdom and insights, and working alongside capable, passionate people to devise strategies to ensure Mandurah’s best days are ahead of us.
The world of local government is a fascinating one, and it’s been a steep learning curve.
In any given day, I’ll go from working with our staff on plans to tackle complex, long-term challenges, to assisting a senior member of our community, to the cliched cutting of a ribbon.
The idea that it’s all about rubbish and roads couldn’t be more wrong – so much of our work is about working with the community to drive change, to be an advocate to other levels of government and to drive vision.
The best part about the job so far has been the remarkable people. Since taking office, I’ve been so grateful for the opportunity to meet countless members of the community, who are doing the most remarkable work, and in all sorts of ways.
To kick of the Mandurah’s Mail’s new community column, I thought I’d share with you three of the thousands of things I’ve learnt so far:
1. Communities work best when they are empowered to drive change, and local governments work best when they are prepared to partner, co-design and facilitate this - rather than try to control every component.
This is one of our driving philosophies as a council, and we are working hard every day to find new ways at engaging with business, community groups and individuals - all with the aim of finding community driven opportunities that we can support.
2. We have a lot to be proud of in Mandurah, and we also have our challenges, but we need to be prepared to talk openly about these challenges and how we are going to address them - whilst at the same time, not be afraid to talk ourselves up and to tell the world why this place is special.
I’m convinced that we need to change the way we talk about ourselves if we want people outside of Mandurah to change the way they talk about us.
3. Decision-makers shouldn’t be afraid to say ‘you know what, I’m not sure, can you teach me about that?’
There is sometimes this insecurity that as a decision maker, you need to know everything, to be able to answer every question.
Every day is packed full of examples of why this place is so special to those who call it home, of opportunities arising that will ensure our future is strong if we get it right, and reminders of why I have the best job in the world.
Rhys Williams is the City of Mandurah Mayor.
