Cumberland Council new mayor Steve Christou quits Labor Party
Newly elected Cumberland Council Mayor Steve Christou has sensationally used his acceptance speech to quit the Labor Party. Here’s why.
Parramatta
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The newly elected mayor of a western Sydney council has used his acceptance speech to quit the embattled Labor Party, declaring it no longer represents the values that enticed him to join 18 years ago.
Cr Steve Christou has sensationally quit the Labor Party after joining a growing movement turning their backs on it.
During his acceptance speech, Cr Christou announced that he would now represent the Our Local Community party.
“The decision I’ve made has not been an easy one and has been playing on my mind for some time,” the Granville ward councillor said.
“I feel it’s no longer represents the values I signed up for nearly two decades ago.
“When I signed up to the party they represented the battlers — a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay. Now they’ve gone too much to the Left, to the Greens.
“I’ve been wrestling with this for the past two years. The party’s infiltrated with extreme left-leaning people. While climate change is very important, you have to be realistic and their focus on this is not realistic. It panders to political correctness more than common sense.”
Cr Christou, 41, said the final straw for him quitting Labor was when
his peers rejected Liberal councillors’ agreement to have a Labor
mayor and deputy mayor.
“As a party you want to maximise your representation… so that’s what
sealed it for me,” he said.
He called for more attention to Wentworthville.
“You only have to look at the raft of development at Wentworthville
more - it’s a ghost town and that suburb needs to be looked after and
have some serious infrastructure into it.”
Cr Christou pipped fellow nominee and Labor contender Lisa Lake in the council-only poll last night when Greg Cummings rounded out two years as Cumberland’s first mayor.
Our Local Community’s Eddy Sarkis was elected deputy mayor and welcomed the boost to the party’s ranks, which Cr Paul Garrard also represents.
Cr Christou said the council, which amalgamated Holroyd and parts of Auburn and Parramatta local government areas, inherited a great mess but significant progress had been achieved over the past two years.
He said he was determined to see the completion of the Granville Park and Community Centre.
“As elected representatives we are elected to make the right decisions,” he said.
“I look forward to working with my council colleagues to working in this area.”
Cr Christou also thanked his wife Josephine and twin 13-year-old daughters, Nicola and Isabella.