In a shock Council shake-up, Our Local Community Councillor Dan Siviero has resigned from City of Parramatta.
Just over two months out from the Local Government election, another Councillor has stepped down from the Council, as of June 14.
Speaking to Parra News, Siviero confirmed he has left the role due to family commitments.
“The biggest reason is family. The role of a Councillor is a full-time role that people try to squeeze in part-time hours, and I have been doing that for the better part of two-and-a-half years,” he said.
“It gets to the point with increased responsibilities and four children, as well as my other full-time job, [that it’s] really tough to keep up and deliver at that really high level that the community needs and deserves.
“It was really important for me to find the right time to step away and I feel it was important to do that at this point, rather than just waiting until the election period.”
The Local Government election is set to take place on Saturday, September 14.
Siviero’s resignation comes after former Councillor and Lord Mayor Donna Davis resigned from Council earlier this year, following her election as the State Member for Parramatta.
It means there are now 13 Councillors serving on the local Council.
At the June 24 Council meeting, Councillors will resolve to either fill the casual vacancy by conducting a by-election or apply to the Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig to not fill the vacancy.
The cost of holding a by-election would be around $500,000.
According to Council business papers, Council is being recommended to not fill the role – something Siviero agrees with.
“It’s not worth the time and money I would have thought to do a by-election and I think that’s important for the community so that they know we’re not spending unnecessary funds on a process that’s largely internal,” he added.
Although it may come as a surprise to some, Siviero stresses he is leaving the Council on good terms.
“If there’s one thing I have actually enjoyed about this term of Council is its diversity of representation,” he said.
“I’ve actually welcomed the fact that it has the highest number of females, eight out of 15, the highest spectrum of ages, from a young 20-something all the way up to 80-something-year-old, different nationalities represented, different faiths are represented, myself with a hearing impairment, Councillor (Cameron) Maclean with a vision impairment.
“We have really as a group represented our community the best I’ve ever seen in Parramatta.”
Siviero said he will continue working with the Our Local Community party in some form going forward.
“I’ll certainly do my bit where I can in the background to help support wherever I can,” he said.
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 organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.