Another go at mayor

By Paul Pickering
RE-ELECTED Knox mayor Jim Penna has revealed that it was the urgings of colleagues and constituents that convinced him stand to don the mayoral robe for an unprecedented consecutive term.
Cr Penna was unanimously re-elected at a statutory meeting at Knox Civic Centre last Wednesday (5 December), becoming the first mayor in the city’s history to serve two terms in a row.
Reflecting on the honour last Friday, Cr Penna conceded that he initially had some reservations about assuming the role for another year.
“I was a bit ambivalent because it’s pretty demanding but it’s also very rewarding and I want to build on what we’ve achieved this year,” he said.
“You do look at what you’ve done and the time you’ve dedicated and look ahead and say ‘do I want to do that again?’.
“But a number of councillors and community members came to me and asked me to stand again – perhaps because they see that it’s been a pretty cohesive and efficient council and they want to see this continue.”
Cr Penna, whose career in the private sector included three separate stints as a chief executive, said he had relished the opportunity to learn new things and give something back to his home community.
When questioned as to how the public service role compared to the stresses he encountered in his former career, Cr Penna admitted to being surprised by how comparable the responsibilities were.
“I suppose my view about local government was not all that dissimilar to a lot of other business people’s views,” he conceded with a wry laugh.
In his acceptance speech last week, Cr Penna was keen to thank council staff and various community leaders for their part in another year of growth for the municipality.
Among the proudest achievements of the council in 2007, he said, were the development of the Vision 2025 document, an increased commitment to the mitigation of climate change and Knox’s number one rating (for the metropolitan region) in the State Government’s community satisfaction survey. Cr Penna also predicted that 2008 would be a year of continued growth, particularly given Knox’s proximity to the soon-to-be-completed Eastlink freeway.
And while he said his extended tenure would mean many more lonely hours for his wife Marcelle, Cr Penna noted that her own involvement with local community groups would continue to keep her busy.
“I know that you have a lot you want to accomplish without me hanging around,” Cr Penna joked, after thanking his wife at Wednesday night’s meeting.
While Cr Penna acknowledged that it has been the tradition that mayors serve single terms, he said that an upcoming move to four-year stints for councillors – instead of three – would make lengthier terms more practicable.