Meet the new GM: Jason Linnane

For Mr Linnane, born and raised in Dubbo, the opportunity to become council’s general manager means he can come back to the country.

“It will be good to be back working in a rural community,” he told The Argus during a visit to Singleton on Friday to sign his contract.

He moved from Dubbo 25 years ago and, before his Singleton appointment, was the Group Manager Facilities and Services at Port Stephens Council. 

He started work at Port Stephens in1998 and prior to that was employed by Newcastle Council.

Commenting on his priorities in his new role, Mr Linnane said he wanted to spend the first three-to-six months literally getting to know the community.

“I will be out there looking and listening in the community -  to see what are the pressing issues, what the council needs to do and then formulate a plan for achieving those aims in the next five years,” he said.

With state-wide local government elections supposed to be held in September this year it could be a busy time for the new general manager.

However, conflicts over the state government’s plans for a number of forced council amalgamations, the date for the election may not yet be finalised.

In the meantime, Mr Linnane said it was important to tell the Singleton people about the substantive role their council plays in their local community.

“I have a keen interest in local government and what it can achieve and I think in many cases we don’t tell our story well enough. We have to improve our communication skills,” he said.

“Local government does make a difference in people’s lives. We can join forces with other local organisations, for example the Chamber of Commerce, and work to improve our economy.

“Of course I realise sometimes we do things that can be viewed in either a positive or negative way.”

Mr Linnane said he was very much focused on delivering the best range of services to our customers.

Asked if he would be moving to live in the Singleton LGA, Mr Linnane, who currently resides at Louth Park near Maitland, said given his children were in their final years of high school he would contemplate a move once they had finished school.

Singleton mayor John Martin said council had enjoyed a successful change-over period from the current general manager Lindy Hyam to arrival of Mr Linnane.

“Lindy is still with us until Jason arrives which means we haven’t had to have an interim general manager,” he said.

“And Jason comes to us following a unanimous vote in council to approve his appointment.”

Cr Martin said council was looking forward to working with their new 

general manager on developing plans for the future.