Published on:
Thursday, 7 March 2024Shire of Morawa President Karen Chappel AM JP has been re-elected President of the WA Local Government Association, for her second term.
Elected at the State Council meeting yesterday, Councillor Chappel reflected on the achievements of the previous term.
“I am immensely proud of the achievements of the Association over the last two years. We have been able to build mutually respectful relationships through our advocacy work and I am heartened that at WALGA we are a strong voice for the sector in both campaigning on the issues that matter to our Council members, and supporting the communities we represent.
“We have enormous expertise within WALGA and we provide expert advice, services and support to deliver outcomes for our Member Councils.
“I am especially proud of the engagement with State and Federal Governments on sector budget priorities. I am confident that through a combination of targeted advocacy and our relationship with Government, sector priorities will be recognised, and budget requests met.
“I look forward to working with State Council on developing Policy priorities as we head towards the State and Federal elections.”
Cr Chappel has been Morawa Shire President for 15 years and a Councillor since 2005. She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours list for her significant service to Local Government and to the community of Morawa.
She is the current Deputy President of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA)
Alongside Cr Chappel, Town of Claremont Councillor Paul Kelly was re-elected WALGA’s Deputy President.
Paul Kelly is a Councillor at the Town of Claremont, serving more than 10 years of that time as Deputy Mayor, and has held the role of WALGA Deputy President since 2022.
A fellow WALGA Life Member, Cr Kelly has extensive board experience and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Formerly Executive Director of the Economic Regulation Authority, Cr Kelly brings a wealth of experience to the role of Deputy President.
WALGA CEO Nick Sloan congratulated Cr Chappel and Cr Kelly on their re-election and acknowledged their achievements in leading the Association and representing the Local Government sector across the last two years.
