Councillors

Our Councillors

BLAKEHURST WARD

Councillor Sam Elmir

Cr Elmir is a lifelong resident of the St George community and served as a Councillor on Kogarah Council from 2008 - 2012. He is involved in a number of local charitable organisations and is a proud supporter of many local sporting clubs.

Cr Elmir is focused on ensuring strong financial management of Council and is passionate about improving the liveability and facilities in the area. Cr Elmir has initiated action through Council on a number of important issues such as anti-social driving; requesting the installation of bike racks and investigating alternate active transport models; identifying possible locations for a new Regional Aquatic Facility; the creation of a Creative Cultural Strategy; and the preparation of a “Business First Strategy” for the Local Government Area.

Councillor Sandy Grekas

First elected to Georges River Council in September 2017, Cr Grekas has lived in the Georges River Area for over 20 years. She is a high school teacher and also runs mentoring programs between businesses and Western Sydney high school students through the Australian Business Community Network. Cr Grekas holds an undergraduate degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University (USA), a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Sydney, and more recently, a Bachelor’s degree in Teaching (Secondary) from Charles Sturt University. She has three children who are involved in local sports and has been involved in the Oatley Public School P&C since 2010 and Port Hacking High School P&C since 2017.

Cr Grekas was Chair of the Assets and Infrastructure Committee during 2019/20 and the Canterbury Bankstown – Georges River Bushfire Management Committee. She is a strong community advocate and hopes to bring more Council investment to local facilities that impact residents and families on a daily basis; facilities such as parks, playgrounds, sporting fields, aquatic/leisure centres, libraries and community centres. She believes that delivering better services for our residents should be a priority for Council.

Councillor Kathryn Landsberry

First elected to Kogarah City Council serving as a Councillor 2004-2016 and as Deputy Mayor 2007-2008. During this time Cr Landsberry was chairperson of several Committees and a member of all Council’s working parties. She has lived in the Georges River Council area for most of her life.

Cr Landsberry was elected as Georges River Council’s inaugural Deputy Mayor in 2017, and is currently a member of the Community and Culture and Environment and Planning Standing Committees. Cr Landsberry is committed to representing the interests of Georges River Council residents, and ensuring that Council’s policies, amenities and infrastructure projects are of high quality, serve the community’s needs now and into the future, and she is also committed to rebuilding a new aquatic facility at Carss Park.

Our Councillors

HURSTVILLE WARD

Councillor Vince Badalati

Councillor Badalati was first elected to Hurstville City Council, serving as Councillor from 1999 and as Mayor for seven years from 2001-2004, 20052008 and then again from 2015-2016.

Cr Badalati has lived in the St George area since 1977 and is committed to having no Council rate rises above those determined by IPART and no fee increases for early learning centres over the first term of the new Council. He was successful in doubling the Council Pensioner Rebate from $75 to $150 and wants to help more young families by building more early learning centres.

Cr Badalati has served on many Council committees and chaired the Hurstville Council Traffic Committee for 6 years and the Finance Committee for seven years.

Since the amalgamation of Hurstville and Kogarah Councils, Cr Badalati has been appointed as the Chairperson for the Finance and Governance Committee for 2018/19 and 2019/20 and recently re-appointed for 2020/21. Cr Badalati also served as Chairperson for the Georges River Local Traffic Advisory Committee in 2019/20.

Cr Badalati has also served for two years as the Senior Vice President of The Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC) and as a Board member for Local Government NSW.

Cr Badalati has a strong commitment as a member of the NSW Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association, where he has had the opportunity to umpire cricket games for the NSW Premier Cricket competition.

Councillor Nancy Liu

Cr Nancy Liu was firstly elected to Hurstville City Council and served as a Councillor from 2008-2016 and as Deputy Mayor from 2013-2014. Cr Liu has lived in the St George Area for 20 years and holds a Bachelor in Economics. She is a small business owner, has run a locally owned business with her husband for over 19 years and was involved in the establishment of the Local Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Cr Liu is a Justice of the Peace and has worked hard to represent the residents and their interests while serving on Council.

Cr Liu has participated in many Council committees including Community Services, Community Safety and the Lunar New Year Committees etc. As a former Councillor she also served on the Implementation Advisory Committee from 2016-2017. Cr Liu had previous experience as a member of many local resident organisations including the Penshurst Action Group, current committee member of the St Georges Swim Club. She has been active in many community organisations including CanRevive and Lions.

Cr Liu is focused on making the Georges River LGA a safer and more dynamic place. She wants to make sure that there is openness and transparency around Council’s decision making processes and to build and promote community spirit and culture through events and celebrations.

During this COVID-19 pandemic, she is currently taking an active role, showing leadership and community spirit.

Councillor Christina Wu

First elected as a Councillor in 20122016, Cr Wu runs an accounting firm with her husband and is of Chinese and Korean background, speaking both languages fluently. Cr Wu holds a Bachelor of Law Degree, a Master of Commerce with a Major in Accounting and Minor in Taxation Law from Sydney University as well as a Master of International Business from the University of Wollongong.

Cr Wu has served on many Committees for the previous Hurstville City Council and this experience includes chairing both the Multicultural and Community Safety Committee as well as co-chairing the Lunar New Year Committee. Cr Wu will continue to make the

Hurstville Ward a better place to live and work and is committed to protecting our suburbs from inappropriate overdevelopment and in assisting small businesses by reducing red tape. She wants to fix parking problems by introducing a Georges River Council commuter parking master plan and to upgrade the local hospital by working closely with the NSW State Government on the St George Hospital.

KOGARAH BAY WARD

Councillor Stephen Agius (Deputy Mayor September 2020 to current)

First elected to Kogarah City Council serving as Councillor from 2008-2016 and as Mayor 2013-2014 and again in 2015-2016. Cr Agius served at Deputy Mayor at Georges River Council from 2020-2021. Cr Agius has been a lifelong resident of Kogarah and has operated a small business in the Kogarah CBD since 2001. Cr Agius holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Chiropractic from Macquarie University. Cr Agius has served on many committees including Assets and Services Committee, Environment and Planning Committee, Community Services Committee, Audit Committee, Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP) and the Southern Sydney Region of Councils (SSROC). He also served on the Implementation Advisory Committee to assist in the successful smooth transition to the newly formed Georges River Council after the Hurstville and Kogarah Council’s amalgamated.

Cr Agius has worked with many diverse organisations and community groups, both personally and professionally, and his experience in operating a small business has given him the first-hand experience needed to understand the issues and concerns within our community. Cr Agius knows how important it is to have these issues addressed by Council and is committed to delivering results to meet the expectations of the community.

Councillor Nick Katris

First elected to Kogarah City Council and serving as a Councillor for 22 years (five terms) from 1994-2016 and as Mayor 2007-2008. Cr Katris has lived in the Georges River LGA for in excess of 30 years and has worked as a Registered Architect in private practice for over 40 years.

Cr Katris holds a Bachelor of Science – Architecture, Bachelor of Architecture – Honours and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning. Cr Katris has also completed the Bio Banking Assessors Course and has a Certificate in Mediation.

Cr Katris has sat on various Boards and Committees including the Building Regulations Advisory Committee, the Building Code of Australia Alternative Solutions Working Party of the Department of Planning, and on the NSW Government’s Joint Regional Planning Panel for the Sydney East Region. Currently he represents Council on the Sydney South planning Panel. He has served as the Chairperson of the Environment and Planning Committee and he was previously the Chairperson for the Community and Culture Committee. He keeps a keen interest on matters relating to all levels of Government as they affect our local Community.

Cr Katris believes that ratepayers should receive value for each dollar they contribute and that Councillors must take a proactive role in dealing with all issues that come before Council in a fair, just and transparent manner and always be on call in order to address all resident's issues. He strongly believes that Councillors must always act in a manner that prioritises the best interests of our community over their own personal interests.

Councillor Leesha Payor

First elected as a Councillor in 2017, Cr Payor has lived in Kogarah Bay Ward for most of her life. She has a long track-record of advocating and defending the interests of local residents and the wider community. Prior to joining Council, she also provided 20 years of voluntary service to numerous local and state-wide residents’ organisations.

Cr Payor serves on the Environment and Planning, and Community and Culture Standing Committees. She strives to have objective studies form the basis for all planning and development proposals and believes public participation should rightfully contribute to final decisions. She strongly supports improved community facilities, and the celebration of our heritage.

Cr Payor’s priority on Council is to engage the community in strategic planning to shape the character of their local area, and for Council to provide infrastructure that creates a healthy, liveable and sustainable environment for present and future generations.

Our Councillors

MORTDALE WARD

Councillor Con Hindi (deputy Mayor June 2020 – September 2020)

Cr Hindi was first elected to Hurstville City Council in 2004 where at different times he served as Councillor, Deputy Mayor and Mayor. He also served for two years as the Vice-President and three years as a Director for Local Government NSW. He served during 2019/20 as Deputy Mayor on Georges River Council. He was recently elected as Vice President Junior for Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC).

Cr Hindi has lived in the local area for over 40 years. Councillor Hindi holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Sydney University and an Advanced Diploma in Project Management. He has also successfully completed the Company Directors Course. He is actively involved in local schools and churches and has raised money for the Red Cross, Salvation Army and Camp Quality.

Cr Hindi has served on many committees of Georges River Council. He has been the Chairperson of the Environment and Planning Committee, Economic Development Advisory Committee and the Floodplain Risk Management Committee and has previously served as a Director on the St George and Sutherland Business Enterprise Centre.

Councillor Warren Tegg

First elected to Georges River Council in September 2017, Cr Tegg was born in and is a current resident of Penshurst and works as the Director of Policy at the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union, where he campaigns to protect workers' rights. He has previously worked for the Minister for Communications and the Shadow Minister for Defence. Cr Tegg holds a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts at Sydney University, and a Masters of Politics and Public Policy at Macquarie University.

Cr Tegg is on the Community and Culture, and Assets and Infrastructure Standing Committees and previously a member of the Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee for Georges River Council. Cr Tegg wants to ensure that Council looks after the basics including roads, footpaths, parks and community spaces. He also wants to make sure that Council delivers new infrastructure that meets the needs of all current and future residents. He plans to address a range of important policy issues affecting local residents, including rental housing affordability, increased quality and green space in new developments and proper governance at Council.

Councillor Lou Konjarski

First elected to Georges River Council in September 2017, Cr Konjarski has lived in the Georges River Area for 29 years. He owns an Accounting and Taxation practice in Hurstville and was Treasurer of Hurstville Chamber of Commerce from 20002013 and President from 2013-2015. Cr Konjarski is a public accountant, Chartered tax advisor and a registered tax and ASIC agent. He is a fellow of the National Tax & Accountants'

Association, Association of Taxation and Management Accountants and the Tax Institute, formerly the Taxation Institute of Australia. Cr Konjarski is a long time sponsor and supporter of St George Football Association, voluntarily assisting at grass roots level and has been involved with the push for all weather sporting fields in our area.

Cr Konjarski has sat on various committees and helped to form the Safety Committee and Town Centre Committee sub committees with the Hurstville Chamber of Commerce. He is committed to being a voice for the community on topics including parking, all weather sporting fields and stopping the sale of public assets. Cr Konjarski will be making sure that the Council continues to address the needs and expectations of all St George residents.

PEAKHURST WARD

Councillor Kevin Greene (Mayor)

Cr Greene was a member of the NSW Parliament from 1999-2011, representing Georges River from 1999-2007 and Oatley from 20072011. He was the Minister for Community Services from 2007-2008, Minister for Gaming, Racing and Sports from

2008-2011 and the Minister for Major Events from 2010-2011. First elected to Georges River Council in September 2017, Cr Greene was also elected as Georges River Council’s inaugural Mayor. Cr Greene has lived in the Georges River Area since 1965 and has had a career as a teacher, assistant Principal, and Principal from 1981-1998. Cr Greene holds a Bachelor of Education and a Diploma of Teaching.

Whilst a member of NSW Parliament, Cr Greene was the Chairperson of the Public Works Committee from 2003-2007 and a Member of the Stay Safe Committee from 19992003. Cr Greene has participated on other Committees including the Chair for the Hurstville Centenary Sports Committee 1986, Hurstville Bicentennial Committee and the Hurstville Mayoral Golf Committee/ Pro Am 2001-current.

Cr Greene believes it is Council’s responsibility to deliver the highest standards of services to the community whilst providing and maintaining a beautiful natural environment for families to raise their children in.

Councillor Rita Kastanias

Cr Kastanias has lived in the Peakhurst area for 30 years and runs a business at Lugarno. Living and running a business locally has helped her to create trust and confidence within the community, to listen and create a strong team where fresh ideas can flow.

She served on the Georges River Implementation Advisory Committee as a former Councillor in 2016-2017 and has supported local sporting groups and charities whilst serving as a Councillor at Hurstville City Council.

Cr Kastanias is committed to work with the community and Council to continually meet community expectations regarding strong financial management, convenient, affordable parking, improving community complaint resolutions, improving customer service and community engagement strategies.

Cr Kastanias is committed to working with sporting clubs and charities, ensuring there is no overdevelopment in Lugarno/Oatley and that the Lugarno and Oatley Villages are maintained. She would like Council to secure funding to improve water quality in the Georges River and to regenerate bush land in local parks.

Cr Kastanias supports better design and planning management through community consultation and insists that Private Certifiers uphold Council’s high standards and codes.

She will lead with honesty, integrity and transparency, working together with the interests of the community through teamwork and cooperation to building a better place for the community of Georges River Council.

Councillor Colleen Symington

First elected to Georges River Council in September 2017, Cr Symington has lived in the Georges River Area for 29 years and previously owned and operated two patisserie/cafes in the St George Area for over 20 years. Cr Symington has been employed by several Members of the NSW Parliament and is now based at Parliament assisting the Opposition Whip in the Legislative Assembly. Cr Symington holds a Bachelor of Business, Victoria University.

Cr Symington is a member of the Assets and Infrastructure Standing Committee and the Finance and Governance Standing Committee. Cr Symington also strongly supports Georges River Council embracing Innovation as it navigates its way through these very uncertain times.

Cr Symington does not support reducing Council staff and service levels.

Cr Symington also considers that as custodians of resident and rate payer funds and assets, Councillors have a significant role in ensuring that these funds are spent wisely and effectively and that the assets are well maintained.

Cr Symington believes that Council must continue to play an integral role raising awareness and in supporting primary and secondary victims of domestic abuse within the LGA.

Cr Symington believes that it is imperative that residents continue to have opportunities to voice their concerns about issues that are impacting on their quality of life particularly through their Councillors, who should make themselves available when called upon.

Georges River, Oatley Park

Councillor fees and expenses

The Mayor and councillors receive an annual fee endorsed by Council and set within the approved range by the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal. The Mayor’s fee for 2020/21 was $68,530 plus a Councillor fee of $25,790. Councillors’ fees for 2020/21 were $25,790 each Councillor. The Mayor and councillors also receive reimbursement of expenses relating to their roles, as detailed in Council’s Mayor and Councillors’ Expenses and Facilities Policy.

Conduct of councillors

Our Code of Conduct incorporates the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct for Local Councils in NSW. It sets the minimum standards of conduct for council officials. It is prescribed by regulation to assist council officials to:

• understand and comply with the standards of conduct that are expected of them • enable them to fulfil their statutory duty to act honestly and exercise a reasonable degree of care and diligence • act in a way that enhances public confidence in local government. Failure by a councillor to comply with the standards of conduct constitutes misconduct under the Local Government Act 1993, which provides for a range of penalties that may be imposed on councillors for misconduct, including suspension or disqualification from civic office. A councillor who has been suspended on three or more occasions for misconduct is automatically disqualified from holding civic office for five years.

Complaints

We manage complaints against councillors in relation to the Code of Conduct that deal with:

• disclosure of confidential information • improper use of the position of councillor to gain a personal advantage or cause detriment to the local government or others • misuse of local government resources • unauthorised involvement in administration matters • improperly directing, influencing or making offensive or objectionable statements about council officials • notifiable and prohibited gifts. Our appointed complaints officer is the Manager, Governance and Risk Management.