Patrick Hall Mayor of Canning (2019-)

Patrick Hall says he has a feeling of inevitability when it comes to leadership.

Having served as a policeman for two decades, Mr Hall found himself drawn to executive positions across a broad range of sectors, including retailers and not for profits.

That extended through to his personal life, where he found it natural to volunteer to help lead local sports clubs and other community groups.

“I always felt that if people were looking for a hand on a committee, I had the time and the inclination to do it and I always thought I had something to offer,” Mr Hall said.

“Invariably I would always put my hand up, which was not always great because we had four kids, but we got the job done.”

Those motivations resurfaced in 2015 when, aware the City of Canning’s council had been dismissed, Mr Hall campaigned to represent his local community in an official capacity.

He tempered a run for mayor at the time, reasoning he needed more experience before launching a bid.

However, his background and broad knowledge across industries stood him in good stead for the role when he successfully stood for the position last year.

Mr Hall said he was determined to bring his focus on effective leadership to a community with a history of ineffective governance.

“Anybody knows Canning well knows that it’s an incredibly wonderful city with a proud history, but at times we haven’t endeared ourselves from a local government point of view,” Mr Hall told Business News.

“I know the council’s been dismissed twice in its history, which is not something many people would be particularly proud of.

“For me, I looked at the history, and thought it was about time we forged a tradition we could all be proud of, and that we bedded down a council the community could be proud of.

“There’s no glory in local government, but people need to be confident the people they’ve elected to manage the finances of the city are doing so to the expectations of the people who actually put them there.”