The merger of Gosford and Wyong councils was unpopular with many and was followed by months of stalled development under the control of an administrator unwilling to make many major decisions with no elected councillors.
September last year saw the first election of councillors for the newly amalgamated regional council, with Brian Glendenning performing the role of acting CEO until Mr Murphy took up his appointment last month.
Criticisms of the two previous councils linger, as does the rivalry between the northern and southern sections of the region.
But Mr Murphy reckons he is equal to the job and is full of enthusiasm, despite a recent resolution by the council to call for community input on just how the amalgamation is working and whether or not it should continue.
“A merger of two councils can be ponderous and we need to find ways to be agile and responsive (to the community},” he said,
“It’s not all about Gosford or Wyong – we need to be inclusive of the smaller communities and make small businesses throughout the region feel supported.”
In fact, encouraging business is a large part of Mr Murphy’s brief.
Without ”trying to defend decisions made in the past”, he said he would be working to reduce impediments to business.
“Many good ideas were shut down in the past for various reasons but I am very open to ideas from the business community,” he said.
“Many good ideas were shut down in the past for various reasons but I am very open to ideas from the business community,” he said.
“It’s not about playing favourites or back room deals; it’s about working in partnership with businesses and providing the right environment for them to flourish.”
Mr Murphy has already been out and about, meeting with various business chambers and getting a feel for the business climate.
With his two adult children living in New Zealand and Tasmania respectively, he has relocated permanently to the Coast with wife Michelle, following extensive local government and private sector experience both in Australia and overseas.
He was most recently the General Manager of Lismore City Council.
But his actions will be under the microscope, with a panel of eight councillors and an external facilitator set up to monitor his performance.
“We want to ensure we have the right process and relationship in place to ensure the Council and the CEO work effectively together in the best interests of our community,” Mayor Jane Smith said.
