City of Greater Geraldton’s new CEO Ross McKim.

Ross McKim has been appointed as the City of Greater Geraldton’s Chief Executive Officer and says he looks forward to continuing the years of hard work bringing the City to a financially sustainable position.

At the Ordinary Meeting of Council in Mullewa today, a recommendation was passed with unanimous support from Council appointing Mr McKim as CEO for a five year term.

Over the past two years, Mr McKim has been the City’s Director of Infrastructure Services and most recently stepped into the role of Acting CEO after the departure of previous CEO Ken Diehm in June.

City of Greater Geraldton Deputy Mayor Neil McIlwaine said Mr McKim had put himself in good stead with the City and emerged as the most outstanding candidate for the position.

“We had a great response for the job role with over 20 quality candidates applying from around Australia,” he said.

“After a rigorous selection process, I am very pleased to announce that Mr McKim has accepted the role as CEO.

“Ross has been working at the City for the last two years as the Director of Infrastructure Services and has a wealth of knowledge and experience leading local government teams.

“I look forward to working closely with Ross now and into the future.”

Mr McKim has over 25 years of local government experience and has previously held leadership positions at Cairns, Redlands and Tablelands Regional Councils, where he was responsible for the delivery of a diverse range of local government services.

His qualifications include a Masters of Business Administration, an Honours Degree in Civil Engineering, a Graduate Diploma in Municipal Engineering, a Diploma in Community and Youth Work and various certificates relevant to local government operations.

Mr McKim said he was honoured and humbled to be the successful candidate for the role.

“The City of Greater Geraldton is a very progressive local government with a strong national reputation for community consultation and innovation and I am honoured to take up the position of CEO,” he said.

“I'm looking forward to working closely with the Mayor, Councillors, staff and the community in building on the great work currently underway.”

Mr McKim also added that Council had worked extremely hard over the past years to build strong foundations for the City.

“The Councillors have made a number of courageous decisions over the last two years with the intention of bringing the City back to a financially sustainable position,” he said.

“I look forward to continuing this work which should see the City reach a surplus in the very near future.

“Complementing this endeavour, is the need to develop robust asset renewal programs that will ensure the City’s nearly $1 billion in infrastructure remains fit for purpose.”

Mr McKim added that he will continue to work with stakeholders on initiatives that will help to grow the local community.

“I look forward to working with key stakeholders such as the Midwest Development Commission and the Midwest Chamber of Commerce and Industry to develop and implement initiatives to assist in the growth of the local economy,” he said.

“The Progress Midwest model combined with the completion of the Greater Geraldton Growth Plan demonstrates the Council’s commitment to doing all it can to grow the local community.

“I also look forward to developing and implementing the City’s customer service strategy and working with local community groups to ensure their input is provided to Councillors as part of the decision making process.”

Mr McKim will officially take up the new position on 28 August 2017 and said he is excited to keep the City of Greater Geraldton moving forward.

“I am passionate about local government and all that it represents and achieves,” he said.

“I very much appreciate the faith both the Council and staff have shown in me and it is very rewarding as it provides me with the opportunity to continue doing what I love – which is serving the local community to the best of my ability.

“I believe Geraldton has a very bright future ahead of it, and I am excited about making a positive contribution.”