New Mosman mayor and basketball centre Ann Marie Kimber says there is a lot to be excited about in her role
Ann Marie Kimber is not afraid of pulling her sleeves up for a good cause. The mayor, who was popularly elected to the position in the September council elections, recently helped pick up rubbish at Athol Beach down past Taronga Zoo.
It’s all in a day’s work for this mayor, who moved to Mosman 20 years ago and ran for council as a sign of her commitment to the area. “At the end of the day, I love Mosman so much. It’s my ultimate way of giving back to this community that is just extraordinary and wonderful. So I feel very privileged.”
Ann Marie, who has never been on council, says she brings ‘my sense of leadership and community focus’ as someone who works in communications and has been involved in campaigning for local facilities, like the basketball courts down at Balmoral. In the lead up to the election, Ann Marie spent six months doorknocking and estimates she spoke to 2,500 residents. “That gave me a very powerful insight into what their priorities were. And I’m here to represent their priorities and I think I’ve got a very good handle on what those things are.”
She lists traffic, parking, housing density and independence as the issues that matter most to residents. In terms of traffic, Ann Marie sits on the council’s active transport committee which is ‘constantly coming up with new initiatives’ like walking and not driving to the bus and ferry. “It’s a local thing that we actually can do (to make a difference).”
In terms of housing density, with Mosman required to build 500 new homes in the next five years, a major issue is finding surplus land, which is in short supply given Mosman already has 65% medium and high density zoning. “We’ve got longstanding zoned land opportunities already that haven’t been taken up by developers because of the high cost, cost of land and the existing high quality building stock here in Mosman. So I think there are a lot of issues (including infrastructure) that are going to impact on how it will roll out.”
While Ann Marie is still doing her part-time marketing job for a software company, she is working as mayor every day at the moment, keen to learn the role as fast as possible. “I’m here to lean in as much as I can and really contribute as much as I can,” the mother of two explains. “I’m committed to giving the time because my youngest daughter has left home and I’ve got the time and the experience now and am ready to give back to the community.”
Top on her priorities will be maintaining the beauty of the coastal suburb. “Not just the beaches, open space and parklands, but also the village atmosphere and heritage character of the commercial and residential areas,” she says. “And the community is very focused on ensuring that we maintain that and protect that.”
The ‘passionate’ sportswoman is never far away from a basketball court, competing in the Pan Pacific Masters Games in last November on the Gold Coast. “I still referee, play and coach. I also play tennis, cycle, swim and kayak. I’ll do anything!” The mayor has been speaking to local sporting groups about how to better engage young people in Mosman through more recreational opportunities. “I think it doesn’t matter what sport it is, it’s a wonderful way to connect the community and you pick what you want to do and just get involved.”
Ann Marie says she is ‘honoured’ to represent ‘such a great community’ and will be listening. “That’s who I am. I’m a listener, I’m a communicator. I use my practical head sense to come up with what is the right path forward for our community. There’s a lot to be excited about. And I think we’re going to continue to do really good things in this beautiful area that we live in.”
