Jess Scully returns as Deputy Lord Mayor on new City of Sydney term

By DANIEL LO SURDO

Jess Scully has retained her posting as deputy lord mayor after she was voted back in at the first meeting of the new council term yesterday. 

With Clover Moore returning as lord mayor following December’s elections, Cr Scully was backed by the Clover Moore Independent Team in a move that secured the incumbent’s return to the position. 

Cr Moore’s Independent Team holds five seats in the 10-person council, with all five representatives, and the Greens Sylvie Ellsmore, voting in favour of Cr Scully at Thursday’s meeting and comfortably defeating the newly-elected Yvonne Weldon, who attracted the votes of Linda Scott and Shauna Jarrett. Liberal Lyndon Gannon was unable to attend the meeting. 

The makeup of the City’s council chamber will be slightly different this term, despite Cr Moore maintaining five seats and her casting vote, while the Labor and Liberal presence remain the same. 

Cr Ellsmore’s election to council adds the Greens into the City after the party had no representation in the past term. Small Business Party frontrunner Angela Vithoulkas, who served on the previous council term, was pipped by Cr Gannon, who ensured that the Liberals would retain their two seats after the departures of Craig Chung and Christine Forster following the elections. 

Crs Weldon and Ellsmore have each taken the positions previously held by Ms Vithoulkas and Kerryn Phelps, the latter finishing her term on council as an independent after a brief allegiance to the Clover Moore Independent Team. 

Moore Councillors

While Crs Moore, Scully and Robert Kok each resumed their positions at Town Hall, HY William Chan and Emelda Davis were introduced as new representatives for the lord mayor’s team. 

Cr Chan enters local government with a background in architecture, urban planning and sustainable urban practice. He has worked with the City as the UN Sustainable Development Solution Network’s Local Pathways Fellow and is an appointed expert to the City’s Citizens Jury, playing a key role in the 2050 vision for Sydney. Coming onto council, Cr Chan has expressed interest in climate policy and is also an advocate for the City’s startup ecosystem. 

Cr Davis is a Pyrmont local who has advocated for cultural diversity and greater inclusion in her professional life. As a second-generation Australian South Sea Islander of First Nations and Caribbean descent, Cr Davis has worked in multiple levels of government and for non-profits in community development, education, media, training and marketing. Cr Davis is also the chairwoman of the Australian South Sea Islanders (Port Jackson) and is the director for Onyx Management Group.