Cumberland Council elections 2021: Meet the candidates
Voters in Cumberland LGA will soon elect a new council with 52 candidates vying for votes on December 4. Read our comprehensive guide to who is contesting the election.
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As a merged council that took in Holroyd and parts of the former Auburn and Parramatta local government areas, Cumberland LGA stretches over a vast 70sq km with 240,000 residents and is one of the most diverse communities in NSW and Australia.
Voters will head to the polls in five wards — Greystanes, Granville, Wentworthville, South Granville and Regents Park — on December 4.
The make up of the council will alter largely after the Liberal Party failed to endorse candidates including Ned Attie and Joseph Rahme, who will run as independents.
Liberal Tom Zreika and Labor’s George Campbell are not recontesting the poll, which was postponed twice because of Covid.
Former Holroyd mayor John Brodie, who led the council from 2006 to 2008, is returning as a candidate in the Greystanes ward.
The Parramatta Advertiser asked all candidates to submit a 100-word bio about why they are running for local government, their backgrounds and priorities.
Not all candidates who were contacted responded.
Meet your candidates below.
GRANVILLE WARD
Lead Labor candidate: Ola Hamed
I am a long-term local who has been involved in many community organisations assisting families and their children; Guildford McCredie Uniting Church Soccer Club, Granville East P & C, the council’s CALD and safety committees and International Women’s Day events.
As a councillor, I have advocated for the Granville Train Disaster Association, worked on building the new Eric Tweedale Stadium and the newly built state-of-the-art Granville Centre. I understand Granville and its challenges, namely a lack of parking in the town centre, primarily due to overdevelopment. I also advocated and fought against council’s privatisation of childcare services. As a local, I know what is needed for the Cumberland area: public swimming pools, adequately resourced libraries, youth and sports centres, better public transport, better roads and footpaths and social and community infrastructure.
Joshika Naidu, Labor
I have been a lifelong member of the Merrylands community and was educated locally and employed at Woolworths. I am 22 and believe that health, youth and disability services are key in improving our community. Outside of work and study I volunteer as a Meals on Wheels runner, NSW Youth Week event organiser and for disability support. Through my volunteering I have met many vulnerable people in our community and have come to appreciate the role that councils play in making the lives of people better.
Frank Webb, Labor
I am the eldest of six children and grew up in Cartwright Ave, Merrylands. I have been a
resident of the Cumberland area for 65 years. After a successful 25-year career in the corporate world, I found my way into mentoring business owners and was co-founder of Business Clarity which has successfully coached and mentored business owners and teams for 19 years. My wife Anne and I have raised four boys, all products of the public education system. I formed a group at Hilltop School that advocated for, and succeeded in, having speed humps installed at the zebra crossing in front of the school. I was also part of a wonderful group of parents that won funding from the State Government to establish the first Community Resource Centre at Hilltop Road School.
Lead independent candidate: Joseph Rahme
Our team possesses almost 120 years of residency in the Granville ward. I am a sitting councillor and Granville resident, and am leading the ticket with Natalie Issa, a mother who possesses enormous local government pedigree and father-of-two Jamie Sleiman. It is safe to say our team is heavily entrenched in the Granville ward and abreast of all the priorities and needs of our residents. Our priorities are firmly fixated on helping families and local businesses recover from the Covid slump, the cleanliness of our streets, delivering first class green and open spaces, reducing traffic congestion, increasing parking in town centres and delivering more of the major projects. We plan to support your Liberal values of “a hand up, not a hand out”.
Other candidates in the Granville ward are independents Jacob Abraham, Carly Lewis and Ibtisam Koreel; and Our Local Community’s Steve Christou, Samantha Sleiman and Karen Garrard.
WENTWORTHVILLE WARD
Labor lead candidate: Suman Saha
I will once again be standing for election to represent the Wentworthville ward. I hold
a Bachelor degree in Business (Accounting) and work for a major university as a
finance manager. Council’s budgetary priorities should be outwardly focused and reflective of
community needs. I am opposed to the privatisation of council’s valued services and
worked to ensure that council’s high-quality childcare service was not sold to private
operators. Our diverse community deserves council’s encouragement and support.
During the next term, I will strive to improve council’s service delivery. I will pursue
plans for a council service centre at Wentworthville and advance Cumberland as a
smart city.
Lisa Lake, Labor
I am a sitting councillor and have also served as a councillor on Holroyd
Council. I have lived in Wentworthville for over 30 years. I hold Bachelor degrees in
law and economics and I practised as a solicitor, mainly in Parramatta, for over 16
years. I am a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
My record shows that I support policies and plans which foster social inclusion,
equality of opportunity, sustainable development, affordable housing, local business
development and job creation. I have played a leadership role in campaigns for the
preservation of local community facilities such as the Wentworthville pool and
childcare service.
Mark Kunach, Labor
I have lived in Westmead for over 20 years. I am a person living with a disability. I am
a long-term member of the council’s safety and access committee and a number of
access, inclusion and disability employment committees across government. I am
chair of the Guillain Barre Syndrome Association of NSW Inc. I am a NSW
Government employee working in education.
I will work to achieve a more accessible and inclusive LGA from an environmental and
cultural perspective, create cooler, more welcoming public places and parks, and create a better balance between development and quality of life for our residents.
Greens lead candidate: Sujan Selven
I’m running because the next Cumberland Council needs a Green voice. Together, we can ensure that Cumberland Council is ethical and listens to the voices of residents, protects green spaces and promotes sustainable development.
I’ve lived in the Cumberland Council area for over 18 years. I’m a community worker, a human rights advocate and a member of the Tamil community.
I was previously the Greens’ state candidate for the state seat of Prospect. At the last local council election, I just missed out by around 300 votes. With your help, I can be your voice and the first Greens councillor in Cumberland.
Michael Rynn and Dot Newland are supporting candidates.
Other Wentworthville candidates are Michael Zaiter, Monica El-Khoury and Melissa Rahme (Group B) and Our Local Community’s Nadima Kafrouni-Saba, Sam Carlino and Sharlie Thiyagarajan.
GREYSTANES WARD
Labor lead candidate: Dr Diane Colman
I am a lecturer at Western Sydney University and am passionate about ensuring equality for all Greystanes ward residents. I have lived locally all my life, raised two daughters here and am a strong and influential voice for building a fair and thriving community. Diane and the Labor team have a new vision for Cumberland, including an open, honest and accessible council and a sustainable, growing, liveable city. We plan to achieve this through support for local small business, youth employment initiatives, a tree planting program to combat urban heating, the urgent upgrade of Guildford pool and locating a council service hub at Greystanes.
Sandra Doumit, Labor
I have decided to run for council because I believe that councillors have a real opportunity to listen to and engage with our community and make a difference.
I am a mum and solicitor who defends the rights of working people. I have two young children who give me great perspective about how important council-funded services are for families. I am an advocate for great parks that children can play and learn in. I would also like to see greater investment in children’s activities and play groups, which will help our future generation learn important skills and make friends.
Akin Songur is a supporting candidate
Other Greystanes ward candidates are independents Greg Cummings, John Brodie and Ray Semaan, Our Local Community’s Eddy Sarkis, Vedant Agrawal and Carmen Grima, and Aparna Vats, Maya Jamal-Eddine and Zaynoun Atie.
REGENTS PARK WARD
Our Local Community lead candidate: Helen Hughes
I am a lifelong resident of Lidcombe and am on the council of management at Auburn Tennis Centre and a Wyatt Park Committee community member.
Previously, I was active with other organisations, including the Lidcombe Waratah FC and St Peter Chanel Primary School Parents and Friends’ Association.
I am a corporate governance officer and have a history in local government, education and board secretariat roles.
Muhammad Ali, Our Local Community
I work in the NDIS industry and am a skilled migrant from the Indo-Pakistan region who has working actively with the local communities and groups from migrant background for their easier integration into Australian society and help them understand local cultures and values.
I am a foster father to three lovely kids and have been actively working in the community to raise awareness of domestic violence and drug abuse
I have a deep understanding of cultural values, principles, and religions of the Cumberland Council area. I believe that major political parties should not have a role in local government, as their head office is the catalyst of decisions. It is about ‘grassroots’.
If elected, I will hold quarterly community meetings, to provide feedback and an approach to local issues.
Joe Nehme is a supporting candidate
Other Regents Park candidates are Labor’s Kun Huang, Sabrin Farooqui and Hope Atkins. Ned Attie, Christina Kang, Wen Wei are running on the same ticket. Khaled Sunkesula is an ungrouped candidate.
SOUTH GRANVILLE WARD
Labor lead candidate: Glenn Elmore
I was born and lived in the same home all my life, and raised our family in Guildford. I attended local public schools and graduated from university with two masters degrees.
Over the years there has been an increase in population density with a chronic
under-investment in infrastructure, and along with the reintroduction of the toll on the M4, has resulted in traffic congestion on our local roads. Council, with state and federal governments, need to work together on a solution to this and create more local jobs.
Council shouldn’t be a platform for self-promotion and self-aggrandisement, it should provide services, support and infrastructure for residents.
Melissa Seymour, Labor
I was born at Auburn Hospital in 1987. I have lived and grown up in the Guildford area since then. I decided to be a public school teacher when I was in primary school, as even at a young age I understood the transformative power of education. After graduating, I have taught in a number of public schools including two in the Cumberland LGA.
I became passionate about local community issues when the current Mayor Steve Christou and his team attempted to begin the privatisation of council-run childcare centres. I volunteered my time to help in any way I could to ensure that they remained council-run and affordable for local families.
When offered the opportunity to run on the Labor ticket, I kept at the chance as I knew Labor was the team who kept our childcare centres from being privatised. I look forward to working with other councillors to ensure that our community has the access to resources and services it deserves.
Mohamad Hussein is a supporting candidate
Other South Granville candidates are Our Local Community’s Paul Garrard, Margaret Allen and Jeffrey Sun
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