Deputy Mayor Cr Linda Downey.
Both were congratulated and applauded by their fellow councillors, with Mayor Asfour saying he was humbled but appreciates the hard work of all council employees that goes into making the council function.
“I also thank the community who have gone through a tough time, probably the hardest time of their lives with the way this delta (Covid-19) variant has impacted our city, individually and as a community, from small business owners and tradies, to our local clubs and sporting clubs,” he said.
“I am very proud of the support measures and packages we have put in place to help the community, and making sure no one was left behind.
“I really do hope that the terrible time and difficult challenges we faced over the past three months are the worst of it and I can only hope we have a bright couple of months ahead of us with business reopening and life getting back to some sort of normality.
“And, God willing, hopefully we won’t see a spike in cases – and we don’t see another delay to the election.”
Cr Clare Raffan said it was no wonder the Mayor was re-elected.
“We are an incredibly cohesive council and you have demonstrated fantastic, calm and strong leadership over the years and your approach is what helps us be so cohesive as a council.”
Also congratulating the Mayor, Cr George Zakhia said he had “demonstrated to be the right captain to navigate this huge ship”.
“You’ve done a great job, so, as a Liberal I congratulate you on what you have done, especially the last three months,” he said.
Councillors also heaped praise on outgoing Deputy Mayor Rachelle Harika, with her replacement Cr Downey congratulating her on ”doing an excellent job … leaving her big shoes to fill”.
Cr Nadia Saleh said Cr Harika “blossomed in the role and made a huge difference in our community”.
