Merri-bek City Council elects Mayor and Deputy Mayor for 2025-26
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Councillors have elected Cr Nat Abboud as Mayor for 2025-26 at a Council meeting on Wednesday 19 November.
Cr Jay Iwasaki has been elected Deputy Mayor.
With the new Council Plan, Cr Abboud said Council had a clear vision for 2026 and beyond.
“I am looking forward to working with this amazing team to continue to deliver quality services to our community, supporting our local economy, protecting our environment, and continuing to make Merri-bek a more inclusive place to live,” Cr Abboud said.
Pointing to Council’s critical role in serving the Merri-bek community, Cr Abboud said she would continue to focus on delivering core services and outstanding customer experience.
“From our maternal and child health services to our much-loved libraries, we provide more than 150 services to support people in our community at all stages of life,” Cr Abboud said.
“As Mayor, I am committed to championing Merri-bek as it continues to innovate and take bold steps, exemplified by initiatives such as our ground-breaking Community Connectors program, the inventive electric vehicle boom-mount trial, and our continued advocacy to the Federal Government requesting it continues to fund the Commonwealth Home Support Programme.”
As Mayor, Cr Abboud is eager to see Merri-bek's major projects progress, including the $60 million Coburg library and piazza, the Park Close to Home program, and safety and amenity improvements in major activity centres, including in Glenroy, Brunswick and Coburg.
“Together, we are building a vibrant future for Merri-bek where people can live, work and connect in beautiful, sustainable and welcoming spaces,” Cr Abboud said.
“I look forward to working alongside my Councillor colleagues, Council officers and our community to co-create a future for Merri-bek in which we can better live out our vision of being ‘one community, proudly diverse’.
“I am deeply grateful to Cr Helen Davidsonfor her fantastic work over the past 12 months as our Mayor.”
Newly elected Deputy Mayor Cr Iwasaki thanked the community and Councillor colleagues for the opportunity to work alongside the Mayor as Deputy.
“Together with the Mayor and my Councillor colleagues, we will work towards delivering against the aspirations and goals outlined in our new Council Plan, which was developed – and will be delivered – in partnership with our community,” Cr Iwasaki said.