Gunnedah’s Mayor Jamie Chaffey has this month been elected to two positions which will ensure the voice of Gunnedah Shire continues to be heard at the highest level.
Cr Chaffey was last week elected as Deputy Chair of the Country Mayors’ Association of NSW (CMA), an organisation that brings mayors from across NSW together to discuss rural and regional issues. Parkes Mayor Ken Keith was re-elected as the Chair.
Cr Chaffey has also been re-elected to the position of Chair of joint local government organisation Namoi Unlimited for the next two years.
Councillor Eric Noakes, Mayor of Walcha Council, is the Deputy Chair.
Earlier this year, Cr Chaffey became the first Gunnedah Shire Councillor to be elected to the board of Local Government NSW (LGNSW). He is the only councillor from the region to sit on the board.
Cr Chaffey said he believed it was important to ensure strong representation for the region.
“It is an honour not only to represent Gunnedah Shire, but to be able to be a voice for regional and rural New South Wales,” Cr Chaffey said.
“It is an enormous time of change, and we can ensure we are well positioned to build a very strong future for our community, for those around us, and for people across country New South Wales.
“We need to make sure our concerns are heard as loudly as those of metropolitan areas. We face different challenges, and different opportunities, and together we can not only continue with our enviable lifestyle and strong economy, but grow.
“By working together regionally and at a state level, we have real strength to advocate for our communities.
“I’ve seen Namoi Unlimited produce some extraordinary results in both the Regional Jobs Precinct declaration, prioritising where the road network needed attention, and a new approach to planning for agricultural development.
“The Country Mayors’ Association and Local Government NSW are both important avenues to advocate for our regional communities, and I am pleased Gunnedah has a seat at the table.”
