For most people living in the 2480 post code it was a week that was a bit "same same" but for those who follow local politics it was an intense week that would rival any TV drama series.

At Lismore City Council's first meeting for 2021 councillors voted for a new boutique brewery for South Lismore, terminated the General Manager and voted in a new Mayor.

It is the new Mayor that the Lismore App would like to focus on in this story. How many people know Vanessa Ekins and her background? Where did she come from and why did she decide to make Lismore home?

Where were you born?

I was born in Victoria on the land of the Braiakaulung people but my parents were very adventurous and we lived in many places, Townsville, New Guinea, Fiji Islands and I finished my schooling in Brisbane.

When did you move to the Northern Rivers?

I moved to Lismore in 1993. I was visiting an old school friend who lived here and one summer we fell in love. I moved down, got a job from Centrelink, remember when they used to have all the jobs written up on cards, you picked a card and applied for the job then and there? We started a family and bought a house in Lismore.

What made you fall in love with our region?

I would ride my motorbike down from Brisbane through Beaudesert and over the Nightcap range on the Lions road. It was wonderful, narrow winding roads, rainforest, small villages and fertile farmland. I dreamed of a small house and garden on a hill and I am so lucky to live here on Widjabul Wiabal land, I feel I belong to this place now.

Vanessa Ekins: "my trusty motorbike that was cheap transport for a university student and took me on exciting rides into the northern rivers, where i fell in love with the people and country."

What were your previous jobs?

I have a science degree with a double major in resource management and economics, but what got me into working life was a TAFE course on computers. TAFE is awesome. I learnt to use DOS, Lotus123, Wordperfect, remember them? Then I worked in the fledgling computer industry for years, supplying computers to government departments. We even had an office in Lismore in the 1980s.

What made you become a councillor?

I was lobbying council on hazardous industries that were emitting carcinogenic fumes into neighbouring homes and a primary school. I went to a council meeting to see a report on the matter being debated but during public access, heard a heated exchange between neighbours about horse manure and flies. I was hooked and started going to all the council meetings.

Council had a plan to reopen Lismore Lake to motorboats. The lake had been closed because the boat engines stirred up the mud and bluegreen algae made it unusable. Then the birds arrived, over 80 species, some of them rare and threatened and migrating from Russia and China to Lismore. Obviously the community wanted to protect the birds and I got involved in the campaign. We lobbied council and I noticed most of the councillors were elderly men, some of them asleep, some reading newspapers during the meeting and I realised that I could do a much better job of representing our community.

How long have you been a member of the Green party?

I have voted Green since Green candidates started running for office and I joined the Lismore Greens in 1999. I also joined Wilsons River Landcare and started planting trees on the riverbanks. I had two young children and felt the need to get out of the house and interact with other families.

Vanessa Ekins: "when I first ran for council election in 1999, was not elected but joined council committees and attended all council meetings."

How will you marry the progression/expansion of Lismore and your ecological ideals?

We need more housing but smaller homes for an ageing population. We cannot keep covering our prime agricultural land with houses.

Council worked with our community to identify solutions and we agreed that intensifying our urban area and villages will mean people are less car dependent to access services and social opportunities.

Council also allows two houses on farmland to keep families farming. We still have a long way to go to ensure every home has rainwater tanks and solar panels and footpaths to shops and schools.

Where do you feel our planet is at in terms of health?

The science I have read insists we need to plant lots of trees, what's not to love about this? Trees have so many benefits, they absorb carbon from the atmosphere, produce oxygen for us to breathe, stabilise and fertilise the soil, create rainfall, hold water on our thirsty farmland, reduce flooding impacts downstream, provide habitat for plants and animals and with adequate investment will create thousands of long term jobs. This needs to be the focus of all governments.

Vanessa Ekins: "I was a councillor when this photo was taken on a tour of the Richmond floodplain during a floodplain conference, my sons came on a tour, the engineers loved that and now my youngest son is studying engineering at Swinbourne University."

What do you want to achieve in your seven months as Mayor?

The council will be focussing on preparing a budget and long term financial plan. It is important we get this right so we can continue to provide services the community value. I expect councillors and council staff will work on this together.

What needs to be done to get the budget back in the black?

Councils provide services the community value, and some of these services do not generate a profit. Services like pools, libraries, art galleries, sports fields, parks, footpaths, rubbish collection, water, sewer systems and roads.

We need to continue to provide them and this means we need a fair share of funding from state and federal government. For example, councils are responsible for 70% of the nations road network but receive 3% of the funding for it. Councils in NSW are lobbying collectively for better support from government.

There appears to be a division between councillors, how do you fix that?

Last week councillors met face to face in the chamber for the first time since April last year when COVID shut our public meetings down. It was good to be in the same room with each other, council staff and members of the public. Conducting sometimes controversial business via Zoom was extremely difficult for everyone. Councillors are determined to work together to keep Lismore a great place to live.

It has only been four days since councillor Vanessa Ekins became our new Mayor.

Questions about Lismore City Council's ability to create a budget that allows investment in the arts and other community spaces while basic services are being delivered still abound.

Can Lismore and surrounds return to growth under a Greens Mayor with Greens councillors? If not, then how will the Lismore City Council increase revenue to deliver basic services and beyond without increasing rates? There is no guarantee the State Government will say 'yes' to fund the fixing of local roads.

Questions that will be answered in the next seven months leading into new council elections in September.