HORSHAM Rural City’s new mayor Mark Radford wants his fellow councillors to set clear goals for the remainder of their term.

Cr Radford was sworn-in at a statutory meeting at Horsham Civic Centre on Thursday night.

He replaced Cr David Grimble, who served two years in the role.

Cr Radford said Thursday night was significant because it marked the halfway period of council’s four-year term.

‘‘The seven of us each have two years left,’’ he said.

‘‘I want them to think about their goals for the last two years and how we can work together to make them happen.

‘‘Nothing would be worse than committing four years of your life and then thinking, ‘I wish I did that’. Or ‘I should have said that’.’’

Cr Radford believes the mayor’s role is to lead and encourage council.

‘‘Being a council is not a team,’’ he said.

‘‘When you’re a team, you do your best for the team and you might change what you’re doing to please the team. But this council is made up of seven individuals.

‘‘We will, and do, often disagree, and that’s a part of the process. Do the research and reading, put your case and make a decision.’’

Cr Radford said it was a privilege to be elected to lead the group.

‘‘I think the councillors do a great job,’’ he said.

‘‘They are very committed and most of the work they do, people don’t know about.’’

Cr Radford said he had received a lot of support and congratulatory messages from the municipality’s residents since he was informally elected on November 3.

‘‘In the past two weeks I have heard one phrase over and over, from older folks talking with pride about their home and students returning from a stint overseas: ‘Horsham is a great place to live’,’’ he said.

‘‘With the beautiful river winding through the middle of town, our flat Wimmera landscape, the Grampians at our doorstep, the bird life, the wildlife and the weather... it’s not bad, is it?’’

Cr Radford encouraged the community to take advantage of opportunities to contribute to council decisions.

He said he and his wife, Anne, were looking forward to getting to know their community in a new way.

‘‘We’re particularly excited about spending more time with the volunteer groups that form the fabric of the municipality,’’ he said.

‘‘As much as possible, we offer our ability and our availability.’’

Cr Radford said Anne and their children, Chris, 23, Will, 20, and Jess, 18, were supportive of his move from councillor to mayor.

He said it was an exciting time for council, with many projects on the go.

‘‘With our growing population and increasing ‘regional’ responsibilities, we need to be keeping up and we need to be planning for the future,’’ he said.

‘‘Providing facilities such as the new indoor sports stadium, the redeveloped town hall, a pedestrian bridge across the river, improvements at the airport, the library, the livestock exchange and our educational centres are all a part of forward thinking community leadership.’’

Cr Radford said he had a number of dreams for the future, ranging from paddle boats on the river and live music at the soundshell on Sunday afternoons to a museum to celebrate Horsham’s heritage.

‘‘I would like to thank the councillors for this privileged opportunity and David and his wife Jenny for their time and commitment over the past two years,’’ he said.

‘‘As I take the baton, passed down the long line of civic leaders, I commit to doing my best. I offer nothing more and nothing less.’’