Victoria Park Mayor to step down after 12 years

Long serving Victoria Park Mayor Mick Lee, will formally retire at this year's council elections, after more than 12 years as the town's mayor and after 39 years of continuous service in local government.

The full text of an announcement from the Town of Victoria Park is pasted belowOver 12 Years of Loyal Mayoral Service Ends

Make a note of Tuesday 16 October. This Ordinary Council Meeting will mark the last formal duty for the Town of Victoria Park's Mayor of 12 and a half years.

His Worship, the Mayor, Mick Lee, OAM, JP, will finally retire after more than 12 years as the Town's only Mayor after winning office over three consecutive elections.

John Albin Lee, or 'Mick' Lee, as he prefers to be called, is a stalwart of the local government sector with over 40 years of combined service as an elected member, and mayor. In 1964 Mick was elected as a councillor to the City of Perth, and remained there for 27 years.

Mick Lee's term with the City of Perth came to an historic end in 1995 when he was elected as the first Mayor of the Town of Victoria Park following the 1993/1994 City of Perth restructure process that saw the creation of the local government areas of Victoria Park, Cambridge and Vincent.

He mentions that his original motivation for becoming involved in local government was to encourage the development of quality local services and amenities for his wife Thelma, and their four children.

Since his time in office, Mayor Mick Lee seems to never have had an idle moment. His resumé of community involvement alone is nothing short of impressive. He has been invited to be Patron of more than 25 community and sporting organisations throughout his career, ranging from the Senior Citizen's Association through to the local softball club.

At last count Mick Lee had been formally involved with over 30 different community groups, to the Town's knowledge. There are probably countless others that he has also supported in some way over the years, but that he has not publicly promoted.

In 1986, to recognise his longstanding commitment and passion, the Mayor was honoured with an Order of Australia Medal for services to Local Government.

"Mick Lee's retirement will mark the end of an era at the Town. His dedication and jovial nature will be sorely missed by his colleagues and the Town's staff" said Chief Executive Officer, John Bonker.

"His patience, wisdom and ability to defuse volatile disputes were some of his outstanding qualities that helped in maintaining a positive and constructive governance environment throughout his 12 and a half years at the helm. He has been a great mentor and example for us all".