Country Mayors chairman finishing in fine form

There will be a changing of the guard at the peak representative body for regional and remote councils with the current chairman of the Country Mayors Association of NSW (CMA) choosing not to seek re-election at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting on Friday 13 November. Temora Shire mayor Rick Firman has announced he will not seek re-election as chairman of the CMA at the upcoming meeting. Councillor Firman said that he is proud of the runs the organisation has put on the board, the relationships that have been built and strengthened, and the genuine camaraderie we feel when our CMA family comes together. He has served as chairman for the last two years, plus three months as acting chairman, two years as deputy chairman and a further two years on the board. “Having been unanimously elected by my fellow mayors and general managers from across our CMA NSW footprint is a profound honour,” Cr Firman said. “Alongside a dedicated board and terrific staff, I have woken up every single day, reflecting on what we can do for our 89 rural, remote and regional member councils, to make a positive difference. “We haven’t won every battle, however, we’ve given our all. “My deputy chairman, mayor Russell Fitzpatrick (Bega Valley Shire) and I have worked closely together, and I appreciate his extra efforts. “Our Board have been fantastic, and very generous with their time. CMA secretary Ms Melissa Boxall, policy advisor Mrs Julie Briggs and secretariat Mr Gary Fry have really given their all, for which I'm most grateful.” Cr Firman expressed his pride in how the CMA has grown (politically), what they have built on and achieved in recent years, with some of those wins including: the establishment of the Premier’s Rural Remote and Regional Advisory Council (which he has co-chaired with the Premier). They have lobbied, alongside LGNSW, ALGA, the USU and member councils for the restoration of the commonwealth Financial Assistance Grants (FAG) to one per cent of national taxation revenue and presided over the introduction of an excelling council’s segment at quarterly CMA meetings and a dedicated Policy Advisor role. Another important step forward is enhanced relationships with all sides of politics. The CMA has hosted dinners with eminent Australians including current and former Prime Ministers, the NSW Premier, NSW Governor, former Governor-General, NSW Police Commissioner while also enjoying fellowship with peers. Other achievements include the contribution to the successful campaign for the NSW RFS vehicles (referred to as the Red Fleet) to come under state government ownership, securing a seat on the IPART Council Reference Group, successfully lobbied the NSW Opposition to introduce a stand-alone Coalition portfolio for Local Government, revised the CMA constitution and introduced patrons to honour outstanding contributors. “The board will host some important events for our member councils in November; our last for 2026 and my last as Chairman will be NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe’s team and EPA representatives will conduct a workshop for our members on FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) in NSW Parliament House on Thursday 12 November,” Cr Firman said. “Our Premier Chris Minns MP will be our special guest speaker for our dinner function that evening. We will honour our third Patron at the dinner, in long-serving former Moree Plains Shire mayor Katrina Humphries, who served four years as chairman of the CMA. “We will have a pre-election State Political Leaders Forum on Friday 13 November, with News 24 political editor, Mr Andrew Clennell to MC and scheduled participants to be NSW Opposition and Liberals Leader, Ms Kellie Sloane MP, NSW Nationals Leader Mr Gurmesh Singh MP, The Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Regional New South Wales, Minister for Western New South Wales, Tara Moriarty, MLC, and Dr. Amanda Cohn MLC for the Greens. “The Board have also scheduled a timely water policy segment, with our guest speakers being NSW Water Minister, Rose Jackson MLC; NSW Shadow Water Minister, Ms Steph Cooke MP; and Member for Murray, Mrs Helen Dalton MP. “The AGM will see biennial voting for our Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Board positions. We are seeing strong interest for these important roles, which is very encouraging.” Local Government NSW (LGNSW) president, mayor Darcy Byrne said that on behalf of the local government sector across NSW, he wanted to thank mayor Rick Firman, for his outstanding leadership of the Country Mayors Association of NSW and his tireless advocacy for rural, regional and remote councils. "As Rick announces he is stepping down as chair of CMA, it’s a great opportunity to acknowledge his tremendous service to the sector,” Cr Byrne said. "In a time of partisan politics and division, Rick’s proven ability to work professionally and constructively across the political spectrum has strengthened the voice of country councils and built productive, enduring relationships. "We are deeply grateful for his commitment, leadership and collegiality, and look forward to continuing our work with him as Mayor of Temora Shire and a member of the CMA Board." Cr Firman will remain on the Board for the new two-year term, as the immediate past chairman. “I'm content that we've done our very best for our CMA family,” he said. “I look forward to supporting the new chairman and board to ensure we continue to build a strong voice for our cherished rural, remote and regional communities.

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