Moree Plains Shire mayor Mark Johnson will not stand for re-election when voters go to the polls at the New South Wales local government elections in September.
Mr Johnson said his family was a priority.
“I have enjoyed my time, but I won’t be running again,” Mr Johnson said.
“That’s a personal decision. Another four years (as mayor) at this time in my life is just too much for me at this stage.
“I’ve got a second grandchild on the way and we’re looking forward to that, and we have plans to travel.
“But at the end of my term, I will be very proud and privileged that I’ve been able to have this role. Not every day is a good day, but most days are great days,” he smiled.
“I do enjoy being mayor, very much so. When I became mayor, Mike Montgomery, a former mayor, told me it is a great job, but not a good job. We do disappoint people. They come to us with problems and sometimes we must tell them we can’t solve them,” he said.
“But it will always be an honour to have been given the opportunity to lead our shire,” he said.
Mr Johnson is Moree born-and-bred, and deeply proud of his hometown.
“I’m very passionate about our town and our shire; it’s a great district and a great lifestyle,” he said.
He said key developments during his term was the carry-over from the previous council securing $225 million for the Special Activation Precinct (SAP) and strengthening bonds with the NSW Labor Government to tackle youth crime in Moree.
“Funding for SAP was announced under the previous coalition government and I give full credit to our previous council for flying the flag and getting that,” he said.
“When we had the change in government, that was really under threat. We’re the safest National Party seat in NSW and we were dealing with a Labor Government, so that presented some challenges.
“Our strategy was not to talk about the economic development, but to talk about the social outcomes for the potentially unemployed and our youth who don’t have a pathway to employment. “That struck a chord with the Minns Government and we were able to get that $225 million reinforced. We’re not taking credit for it, but the Labor Government agreed to continue the investment.
“The other relationship with the State Government is around our youth crime,” Mr Johnson said.
“The Premier came to Moree to a huge amount of negative media. I have to say, Chris Minns is one of the most genuine men I’ve ever met. He had no reason at all to be in Moree. There are no votes here for him whatsoever, but he chose to invest $25 million across the State, and $13.5 million of that came to Moree.
“We spent the day with the Premier and we’ve had the Premier’s Department here ever since,” he said.
Mr Johnson said developing a strong relationship with the Labor Government was important.
“This is a big thing for a National Party seat. We have a great relationship, particularly at State level,” he said.
Mr Johnson said positive outcomes regarding youth crime in Moree would come in time.
“They are longer-term projects, particularly around the bail accommodation facility, where the police and the courts will have the opportunity to put these youths who are committing crimes or potentially committing crimes,” Mr Johnson said.
“The only option for police at the moment is to send them back to homes which may not be safe, and certainly aren’t conducive to doing the right thing.
“We’ll have a bail accommodation facility where these kids can get fed, have a warm bed and have counselling 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“We see this as a longer-term opportunity for our town. Unless we make life itself positive for these children, we’re not going to fix the problem.
“We need the police, and we have a wonderful relationship with the police; we need the courts because people do the wrong thing and they must be brought to justice.
“But these are negative deterrents. We need life for these youths to be positive. I want these youths to wake up each day, and look forward to the day, and I can tell you, many of them don’t,” he said.
Mr Johnson said filling executive roles at Moree council was a key achievement during his term.
“When we took over, we didn’t have a full executive. A number of our director positions weren’t filled, but we now have that,” he said.
“We have a great general manager, a director of planning, a director of engineering and a director of corporate services.
“They’ve been in place for about six months and we have really noticed the difference. The culture in the team is strong, and we’re starting to get some real runs on the board,” Mr Johnson said.
Narrabri Shire mayor Darrell Tiemens said Mr Johnson was a great supporter and friend.
“Mark’s wisdom, advice, and support, especially on health matters, have been invaluable,” Mr Tiemens said.
“I have admired his handling of crime issues in Moree and his leadership with the NSW State Government and local community groups. Mark’s dedication and effective leadership have left a lasting impact on the community.
“I wish him all the best, and truly appreciate his service,” Mr Tiemens said.
Words and Image: Bill Poulos
