From Hinchinbrook MP to Townsville mayor: Dametto’s new chapter begins
Surrounded by family and supporters, Nick Dametto officially took the mayoral oath on Monday, promising to be a ‘forward facing’ leader who will stand with Townsville through good times and bad.
A new chapter is set to begin for Townsville as Nick Dametto has officially been sworn in as the 48th mayor.
Mr Dametto won the Townsville by-election, with the former state member for Hinchinbrook getting a whopping 61 per cent of votes.
On Monday afternoon, Mr Dametto declared the dark days were over for the city.
“People I have spoken to have been filled with hope, finally they have leadership that is going to steady the ship,” Mr Dametto said.
“Someone who’s going to use a steady hand to make sure we can get Townsville back on track.”
Mr Dametto said he was looking forward to working with the other councillors and he wanted to be the kind of Mayor who inspires the staff and lift the standard to where the community was happy with how the organisation was run.
“I want to be the forward facing mayor that not only works within council and the executive team, but someone who is out there that will stand with the people of Townsville in the good times and bad,” he said.
“Transparency is something that people have been asking for a long time, a lot of that information is very readily available, but I want to be that mayor that communicates not only with the public, but with the media as well.”
With the disaster season looming, Mr Dametto said he wanted to make sure he was someone the community could trust during a disaster situation.
“Someone who’s actually going to work with all stakeholders, the different agencies,” Mr Dametto said.
“Making sure that Townsville is not only prepared and ready for disaster season, but also who’s going to work with them, going through their darkest days, and when they need it the most.”
Mr Dametto’s family and friends were in attendance to watch him be sworn in.
“I’ve got people here who put up core flutes, people who have written media releases, I’ve got friends, family and people who have been with me for the last 20 years of my life,” he said.
“I’ve also got my mum here and my dad, makes me immensely proud to have family and friends here supporting me and also those that have been nice enough to help out and trusted me.”
The real work for the new mayor begins now, as Mr Dametto has set up meetings with each councillor to make sure he is sitting down and building a relationship with each councillor.
“Understanding on makes them tick, what are they concerned about in their areas, and what are they trying to achieve over the next two years,” he said.
“Because reminding people, we have two years to get four years worth of work done, that means we’re going to have work swiftly and promptly.”
Originally published as From Hinchinbrook MP to Townsville mayor: Dametto’s new chapter begins
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