Greek-Australian Paula Masselos Elected Mayor of City of Waverley

Greek-Australian Paula Masselos, a Labor Councillor, was last week elected as mayor of the city of Waverly, a suburb of Sydney.

Similar to the voting process of Sydney, the mayor of Waverley is elected by the city’s Councillors, who are voted into power by the residents. The mayoral election takes place in September every two years.

Mayor Masselos, from Bronte, has served as a Waverley Councillor for seven years and is the first woman of Greek heritage to be elected mayor of Waverley.

“In the 160 years of continuous operation as Waverley Council, some 70 men have held the position of mayor. In this time, there have been only five female mayors, and my election makes me the sixth, so I pay tribute to the women who have gone before me,” Masselos said.

“When I chose to run for Council seven years ago, it was because I have a great love and respect for our beautiful local government area. We do have some of the most iconic areas on the planet – such as Bondi and the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk,” the new mayor stated.

“My deep respect for our community means I will work hard for our residents, and to fulfil my obligations. I want to ensure that our community’s voice is well heard and that we, as Councillors hear that voice – including that of our children,” Masselos added.

The newly-elected mayor is the Managing Director of the “Embrace Society,” a communications agency specializing in hard-to-reach audiences and in values-based behavioral change, community engagement, advertising and communications, as well as creative strategy and development.