Cumberland Council elects Suman Saha as Deputy Mayor

The new Deputy Mayor of a western Sydney council has made history as the first person from a subcontinental background to hold the position.

The election of Suman Saha as Cumberland Council’s Deputy Mayor has been deemed a win for Wentworthville after he was voted in on Wednesday night, when he also made history for being the first representative from a subcontinental background to reach that position.

The Bangladesh-born Labor councillor has replaced councillor Kun Huang, who will continue serving the Regents Park ward but not as Mayor Lisa Lake’s “wingman” so he can focus on work commitments.

Cr Saha pipped Our Local Community councillor Helen Hughes for the deputy gig during the council-elected vote.

Cr Saha said issues close to his heart included road safety improvements, giving Cumberland “smart city” status and upgrading parks and playgrounds, particularly Civic Park at Pendle Hill, in his Wentworthville ward.

“Now that the mayor and deputy mayor are both from Wentworthville ward, I think there is an expectation from the community and my councillor colleagues … that now a lot of things will go towards the Wentworthville ward, but being the deputy mayor for Cumberland Council, I want to make sure we allocate our resources where they are required,’’ he said.

The Pemulwuy resident hopes the Civic Park upgrade can progress over the next 12 months.

Suman Saha represents the Wentworthville ward.

“It is quite some time now Civic Park in Pendle Hill has not been upgraded,’’ he said.

“It’s been planned but for various reasons has not been upgraded.’’

Restoration works have been earmarked for the park since early 2020, when the council also debated long-running plans for an “eyesore” multi-deck carpark adjacent to the site.

Funding the decaying Pendle Hill town centre is also on the radar.

Cr Saha also hopes to upgrade Lytton Street Park at Wentworthville, the same suburb where he wants to give more attention to overhauling its library and community centre.

He acknowledged that it was in the suburb’s masterplan but specific funding commitments were yet to be made.

The 39-year-old accountant migrated to Australia in 2003 and will be celebrating two decades in the country next year.

“I think it’s a great honour and privilege that I came to this country as an international student and finished my studies and worked with the community,’’ he said.

Cumberland is home to one of the largest subcontinental communities in Australia. In 2020, 20,417 people held Indian ancestry.

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Originally published as Cumberland Council elects Suman Saha as Deputy Mayor