Chloe Smith To Serve Second Term As Inner West Deputy Mayor

Labor Stanmore-Damun Ward Councillor Chloe Smith has been re-elected as the Inner West Deputy Mayor at a council meeting on Tuesday night.

Her second term follows Mat Howard’s 12-month stint in the position, who will continue to serve as a Councillor for Marrickville-Midjubu.

A renter and Inner West local her entire life, Smith was first elected as Deputy Mayor in 2023 at the age of 29, becoming the youngest person to ever hold the position.

Smith said it was the “privilege of a lifetime” to serve a second term as the Inner West’s Deputy Mayor.

“The Inner West is one of the most vibrant, inclusive, and engaged communities anywhere in the world and our council should aspire to be the same,” she said.

“Together we’re building good local public services while taking action on the issues that matter to our community.”

“There’s more to do”, says Smith

During her time as a councillor, Smith has been an advocate for arts and the environment, helping to establish the Enmore Road Special Entertainment Precinct, and the six new precincts across the Inner West, as well as working on the early roll out of FOGO to cut emissions and landfill, and the creation of hundreds of new electric vehicle chargers.

Smith’s a proponent of the controversial Fairer Future Plan spearheaded by Mayor Darcy Byrne, which wants to see the building of 30,000–35,000 new homes over 15 years, including 8,000 along Parramatta Road.

The plan attracted criticism from locals who say it’ll shrink the already minimal open spaces in the area, and put pressure on schools, parks, traffic and other, already-strained services and amenities.

“The Inner West is at the epicentre of the housing crisis so it’s on our council to show real leadership,” Smith said. “We want young people, renters, essential workers, and people from all walks of life to have a future here.”

Last year, she also voted down Greens Councillor Dylan Griffiths’ BDS motion, remaining silent as Byrne argued against establishing an investigation into whether any of the council’s investments and contracts profit from human rights violations in Gaza, or benefit companies involved in the weapons industry.

“There’s more to do,” she said. “I’m looking forward to working with our community to deliver even more over the next 12 months.”