A FORMER army officer who tackled bombs in war zones is the new boss of Wodonga Council.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Mark Dixon was yesterday named as chief executive by mayor Anna Speedie, after 111 people sought the job.
An Englishman by birth, Mr Dixon has been chief executive of Wodonga TAFE since 2015 after serving in the British and Australian armies from 1984.
His jobs included being director of operations countering improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan and he also worked in Iraq before moving to Wodonga in 2005 to be a leader at the Bandiana army base.
Mr Dixon is the first chief executive of Wodonga Council not to have worked in local government.
He said his defence background provided a framework for his city job.
"I think years in the military teach you values, they teach you about good, strong ethical leadership and most of all I think they teach you about the benefits of teamwork, so that's what I'll hope to bring to council," Mr Dixon said.
"I think actually leadership is important, good strong leadership, being honest and open and they are the values of our council, so I intend to live by those values."
Mr Dixon declined to name a priority, saying he would listen as he moved to take up the post on April 23.
Asked about the waste management levy gouging exposed by the Victorian Ombudsman, Mr Dixon was keen to move on.
"I think today is really about not looking backwards," he said.
"I am aware that the council has responded I think very positively in meeting the recommendations of the Ombudsman, so really I think that's done and dusted, I think we need to focus on looking forward."
Mr Dixon's four-year appointment was ratified by councillors during a 10-minute discussion at a formal meeting yesterday morning.
He replaces the second female to have held the top job, Patience Harrington, with his hiring coinciding with International Women's Day.
Cr Speedie declined to say how many candidates were interviewed or if a woman was in final contention.
"We chose the best person for the job for this community, for this council, at this time...regardless of gender," she said.
Meanwhile, the mayor reacted further to former councillor turned MP Tim Quilty who raised his concerns with the council with Victorian Local Government Minister Adem Somyurek.
"We know that Mr Quilty often made comments that were unfounded, without fact and certainly without substantiation, it certainly looks like he is going to continue," Cr Speedie said.
She added it was "incredibly disappointing" to have Mr Quilty "abuse" his position.
Mr Quilty said he was considering taking his concerns to government agencies.
He said they related to the Leneva-Baranduda planning scheme formation, problems with senior staff and culture and not seeing contracts as a councillor, including the Aligned Leisure pool deal.
"I was told that it's operational and 'you can't see that' which seems outrageous," Mr Quilty said.
