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Mayor reviled by

Janice TeoEastern Reporter

IN defiance of Perth’s Luddites, our first woman lord mayor has been overseas again.

Since first enchained, Mrs Lisa Scaffidi has constantly suffered a small band of detractors.

In campaigning for civic leadership of our capital city, Mrs Scaffidi pledged energy if elected.

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In the lord mayoral race, she surprised even herself by beating two better-known candidates.

What’s more, she kept faith with her pledge. We have become accustomed to her perpetual motion; that is, except for her die-hard critics.

Way back, there were those who relished the prospect of her floundering as they clung to their traditional parochial attitudes and tunnel vision that isolation can breed.

To these traits, add a dash of misogyny.

In her leadership role Mrs Scaffidi has flourished, lifted morale here and championed us overseas.

By now, Mrs Scaffidi’s awesome record of achievement in a comparatively short time is fact: perhaps to become WA legend.

She has transmogrified our capital city and is giving it a glowing global profile.

For this, she is being reviled by a minority who, while choking on corrosive envy, persist in trying to throw spanners in the machinery and march of progress.