VLGA Connect, Victorian Local Governance Association

“I love being on council. It is such a great, great experience.”

– Cr Angelica Panopoulos

Cr Angelica Panopoulos is the Mayor of the Merri-bek City Council in Victoria, and an alum of the University of Melbourne’s Pathways to Politics Program for Women.

Angelica is the youngest ever mayor of Merri-bek City Council (formerly Moreland). She first became involved in local government through her activism for refugee rights.

In this video for VLGA Connect, Angelica talks about the challenges of standing for council during a COVID election and how she had to adapt her campaign strategies. She is passionate about tree planting and urban cooling to combat the loss of trees in her municipality. Angelica believes that local government should address both immediate and long-term needs.