During the February General Meeting for Hornsby Shire Council, Councillor Nathan Tilbury was elected Deputy Mayor yet again in an unsurprising turn of events.
Cr Tilbury’s position as Deputy Mayor will remain until the end of this council’s term, at the upcoming local elections in September where upon the community of Hornsby will decide.
Cr Tilbury has served on Council as a Ward A representative since 2012, and continues to be involved in political spaces, working in the office of the Member for Hornsby, Matt Kean. Cr Tilbury is seemingly ever the bridesmaid and never the bride, he is seen closely shadowing Mayor Philip Ruddock and Member for Hornsby, Matt Kean.
Two nominations were made for the Deputy Mayoral position, for Cr Nathan Tilbury and Cr Emma Heyde, who received five and four votes for Deputy Mayor, respectively.
Astoundingly, Hornsby Shire Council has not seen a female Mayor since Nan Horne’s appointment in 1990, and a female Deputy Mayor since 2007 with Felicity Findlay.
Over the last ten years, Cr Tilbury has been elected Deputy Mayor twice, in 2013 and in 2022. Other previous Deputy Mayors included former Councillor Gurdeep Singh in 2014, former Councillor Michael Hutchence from 2015 to 2016 and again from 2019 to 2021, former Councillor Vince Del Gallego from 2017 to 2018, and Councillor Warren Waddell from February 2023 to February 2024.
Well known and active for over 20 years in the Hornsby community is Cr Janelle McIntosh who was first elected to Council in 2004 for one term and re-elected in 2017 and again in 2021.
Surely a councillor with a long history and deep roots in the community also deserves a shot at Deputy Mayor. And then there’s Cr Emma Heyde, a very highly respected candidate for Mayor in 2017 and again in 2021 who then pulled strong numbers at the polls.
So why do the Liberal Councillors only vote in male Deputy Mayors where the females outnumber the male councillors 6 to 4 in Hornsby?
Hornsby Shire Council has a popularly elected Mayor, unlike neighbouring Councils where the Councillors elect the Mayor. The Deputy Mayor is then elected by the Councillors.
Mayor Philip Ruddock has been Mayor since 2017. The question is, upon this his 81st year, who is likely to succeed the long-standing Liberal Mayor in September this year?
The Post wishes Cr Nathan Tilbury well as Deputy Mayor. However, the current trend of electing only men into the Deputy Mayoral position ignores a broader societal push for gender balance in leadership roles.
The population of Hornsby Shire is 51% female, so where is the recognition of the benefits of diverse perspectives in governance and decision-making. It stands to reason that a female councillor should have been elected for the Deputy position given a male holds the Mayoral position especially given the lack of female representation in this role to date.
Encouraging women into local government leads to more representative and comprehensive approaches to community challenges and opportunities.
The Post is keenly watching to see if a female Mayoral candidate will surface in the September local government elections.
In the end Hornsby benefits from equality.
