Hills Shire Council: Meet the new councillors

Seven new faces are set to join The Hills Shire Council — and one of them has already been elected deputy mayor. Here’s our guide to who’s who and their vision for our Garden Shire.

Odessa Blain

4 min read

January 20, 2022 - 1:23PM

Hills Shire Times

Hills Shire

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Now the dust has settled on The Hills Shire Council elections, a flurry of fresh faces are keen to leave their mark on the community they love.

The Hills Council welcomes seven new councillors across four wards. These councillors come from all walks of life, each possessing different visions for what they hope to achieve in local office.

Five of these councillors took the time to speak to The Hills Shire Times about their plans and priorities for the years ahead.

Mark Hodges

In his first meeting as councillor, Mark Hodges received a surprise promotion — all nine Liberal councillors threw their support behind him in last week’s extraordinary meeting and elected Cr Hodges as deputy mayor.

With a background in the NSW police department (serving as a senior sergeant) and then moving on to work as a solicitor, Deputy Mayor Hodges admits he’s “always been interested in helping the community … it’s a very honourable and noble thing to serve society”.

“One of the things that any person who is elected to any form of public office wishes to achieve is to ensure that the community approve what we’ve done — we want to do what the majority of the community wants,” he said.

Deputy Mayor Hodges says one of his key priorities in council will be pushing back on overdevelopment and ensuring that there is infrastructure, such as parks and better traffic management, in the Hills’ growth areas.

Deputy Mayor Mark Hodges

“Most of the people in the Hills Shire are very tired of the concrete jungle that’s being put up in various areas,” he said. “I want to be involved in ensuring that … it remains, as far as we can make it, ‘the Garden Shire’ — not the concrete jungle.

“I want to make the Hills a much better place to live not only for the people that are living here now, but for their children to come.”

Jessica Brazier

A third-generation Hills resident, councillor Jessica Brazier is “incredibly proud and grateful to be part of a team that is going to deliver results for the community … it’s just so nice to be able to give something back.”

Cr Brazier said that her main priority is to maintain the character of the Hills.

“We’re called Sydney’s ‘Garden Shire’ but there are times when it doesn’t really feel like we should be,” she admitted.

To address this, one of Cr Brazier’s main priorities for the Central Ward, particularly in the newer areas such as North Kellyville, is to upgrade the parks, infrastructure and community facilities.

“We’ve got an incredibly interesting history and I think that needs to be showcased to the new residents in the area, so they’re able to learn about our past and feel connected to it,” she said.

“This then translates to the need to make sure all development in our area is appropriate and consistent with the character of the Hills and that it remains one of the most sought after areas for families.”

Councillor Jessica Brazier

Jerome Cox

As a small-business owner, Councillor Jerome Cox said “you definitely don’t realise how much red tape there is until you encounter it.”

Cr Cox previously served on the Hornsby Local Council and looks forward to sharing the perspectives he gained on prudent financial management throughout his term on council.

“In Hornsby, in the last budget, we learnt a lot about what’s essential and what’s not — and how to be more efficient,” Cr Cox said.

“In the East Ward, it’s pretty well established — I don’t think people want much change there,” he added. “It’s just about the little things. I’m more of a roads and rubbish sort of guy.”

Despite not owning a dog, Cr Cox does feel particularly excited about advocating for dog parks in the Hills because it’s his daughter’s favourite past-time.

“They’re definitely great for kids that don’t have a pet dog but they’re also really great for dog owners because they can really build up and foster a sense of community.”

Councillor Jerome Cox

Mitchell Blue

A project supervisor for a civil contracting company in Dural, Councillor Mitchell Blue sees representing the North Ward as an “extraordinary opportunity”.

“It has put me in a position to be able to work for the betterment of the community, listen to their needs and do what I can to deliver what matters most to them,” Cr Blue said.

Over his term as councillor, he hopes to help maintain the character of the Hills while also delivering on the “strong need to fast track infrastructure in the new release areas.”

“I see so much potential in the North Ward,” he added. “From stone fruit farms to sheep stations, from hiking trails to ski parks — North Ward has so much to offer.

“I would like to see more jobs created in North Ward along with an increase in tourism for this area, particularly surrounding the gem that is the Hawkesbury River.”

Councillor Mitchell Blue

Mila Kasby

Dr Mila Kasby is the first ever Greens member to represent the Hills.

She has lived in the Hills’ North Ward since she was 13 and was struck by the danger climate change poses when she learnt about it in high school.

“I’ve always been concerned but, I guess, life got in the way and I really wanted to concentrate on being a vet and raising my kids,” Cr Kasby said.

It was the 2019 federal election and Black Summer fires, which came scarily close to burning down her house, that spurred her on to run for local office.

Cr Kasby has four key priorities for her term in office: developing a climate strategy and plan for community resilience; ensuring development planning puts the needs of people ahead of profits; environmental protection and regeneration; fostering a greater sense of community through facilities such as a Hills Arts and Culture Centre.