Local government elections 2022: Lord Mayor-elect Jane Lomax-Smith says top job is restoring Adelaide City Council reputation
Returning to her old haunt after more than 20 years, Lord Mayor-elect Jane Lomax-Smith is on a crusade to restore trust in Adelaide City Council after years of turmoil.
SA News
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The biggest challenge facing the state’s most important council was restoring its reputation and credibility across South Australia, according to the new Lord Mayor elect.
Former Labor Cabinet Minister Jane Lomax-Smith, 72, is the provisional new head of Adelaide City’s Council after a nailbiting win at Saturday’s local government elections.
Speaking in her new offices on Monday afternoon, Dr Lomax-Smith outlined the myriad of challenges facing her administration.
These included boosting the city economy, office occupancy, protecting the parklands, helping solve the housing crisis and plugging a widespread skills shortage.
But in a thinly veiled swipe at the former administration, Dr Lomax-Smith, who has been dubbed J-Lo, said her most pressing job was restoring trust in the new council.
“I think the next council’s major challenge will be reasserting its credibility in the reputation of the council,” she said.
“I think it’s really important not just for the electors of the city, but for the whole state that this city performs well.
“And I think that the new council will be really committed to working collaboratively with new personalities – a different road map.
“We cannot forget what’s gone before. But we have to have a reset and commit ourselves to working in a way that can produce outcomes into the future.
“And I think that everyone is enthusiastic about that. Nobody would want the situation continue as it was, and I think we’ve got a great opportunity to move ahead.”
Asked why, she replied: “I don’t think we were achieving to our full potential. And you might look back on the headlines in your newspaper.”
Dr Lomax-Smith, a mother-of-two, is returning to the council more than 20 years after being Lord Mayor between 1997 and 2000, which followed three terms as a councillor.
She beat incumbent Sandy Verschoor, 63, and former Senator Rex Patrick, 55, by 52 votes.
The former pathologist and academic, who served in former Premier Mike Rann’s cabinet vote during her time as the Labor Member for Adelaide, will find out if her win is ratified on Tuesday night.
Rejecting suggestions she was an older role model, she said local government was still important because it “has a profound impact on people’s lives”.
She had methods to deal with “bad behaviour” but the former “Team Adelaide” faction is dead after just two of its councillors were re-elected.
“If we don’t get the city right, the whole state suffers because our city should be the powerhouse, the economic driver, the corporate headquarters, not just the economy in the city, but also the regions,” she said.
“Everybody in our state needs a capital city that works well and delivers for all of us.”
While she was unlikely to block any moves to build the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital, she was strident in her opposition to developing on the parklands.
“I don’t think there’s any merit in developing parklands,” she said.
“I would suggest that if they travelled to New York, no one will be stupid enough to say there’s a pocket of Central Park that needs a building on it.
“No one would be daft enough to go to Regent’s Park in London and say, why don’t we build an office block on it.”
Asked about her relationship with the Labor state government Dr Lomax-Smith said her priority focus was on her city constituents despite her political leanings.
She was happy to debate issues but said she had “consistent” beliefs with the state government on tourism, events, housing management, education, economic development, infrastructure and transport.
“Inevitably there will be some areas where I disagree,” she said.
“We want the place to thrive. But you have to be respectful and recognise there will be areas that we will disagree on.
“I will remind people that I wasn’t always compliant as a cabinet minister. So it’s highly unlikely that I will be highly compliant now.”
She said during her last mayoral term she juggled the job with two young sons and running a business.
“I used to arrive in the morning having done like packed up the lunch boxes and I get to work I’d sit down behind the desk and think ‘gosh, this is the easy part’,” she said.
Premier Peter Malinauskas sent her a congratulatory message on Saturday night.
She decided to enter the race late after sorting out her late father’s house and watch her eldest son get married in London earlier this year.
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