Councillor Pierre Esber has been voted in as Parramatta’s new Lord Mayor in tonight’s Council election, replacing Sameer Pandey in the role.
Pandey, who has only had the position since May this year, said it has been an absolute privilege and delight to serve the City of Parramatta as Lord Mayor for the past four months.
“I’ve been honoured to serve as Lord Mayor of the City of Parramatta since my election on the 22nd of May 2023, and I would like to acknowledge and thank my colleagues for placing their confidence in me,” he said.
“I’m immensely proud to have played a part in the ongoing transformation of our city.”
Esber thanked Pandey for his service, saying it will be a hard act to follow.
“I look forward to working with [Pandey] over the next few weeks, to piggy-back on some of the stuff you started so we can keep the momentum going,” he said.
Cr Patricia Prociv was also voted in as Deputy Lord Mayor, replacing Cr Cameron Maclean.
“How proud I am to be serving on the Council with Councillor Esber,” she said.
But not everyone was happy with the election result.
“I am incredibly disappointed that Councillor Pandey has not been reelected as Lord Mayor tonight,” Cr Paul Noack said.
“It is a big loss to the Parramatta Council and the diverse communities we represent. Councillor Pandey’s term has been cut short and it’s our loss.”
Our Local Community’s Michelle Garrard was also nominated for the Lord Mayor position, alongside Independent Georgina Valjak for Deputy Mayor, but both failed to secure majority of votes.
The next Lord Mayor election will take place in September 2024.
Cumberland Council will also have its Mayor and Deputy Mayor election later this week.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other projects.