The neighbouring Cardinia Shire Council has announced James Collins, the City of Casey’s current Director of City Planning and Infrastructure, as its new CEO.
This followed a special council meeting by Cardinia on Monday night, where its councillors appointed Collins by unanimous vote to the CEO position.
Recorded by the Pakenham Gazette, Collins said that, when he is to be appointed on 13 October for the five-year contract, he will bring his almost two decades of experience with councils to lead “real results” for the “dynamic, diverse and evolving shire”.
Collins currently serves as Casey’s head of city planning and infrastructure, a role he held since 2019; as of late, had been one of the more prominent voices during the council meetings’ public question times, addressing almost 200 questions since the special meeting in November 2024.
Topics of interest included the waste transfer station in Hampton Park, as well as the Berwick Springs Lake / Guru Nana Lake, and a swathe of other planning items such as road infrastructure, zoning requirements, rubbish and more.
Collins will fill the role after Cardinia’s Carol Jeffs departed as CEO in July, ending an almost seven-year stint in leadership.
“It’s an honour to have been appointed to this role, and I’m really looking forward to joining Cardinia and getting to know the councillors, staff, and the wider community,” he said.
“Cardinia is a dynamic, diverse, and evolving municipality, rich with opportunities and challenges.
“I’m looking forward to leading the next phase of its development and to collaborating with the dedicated Cardinia team, delivering real results for the community, now and for generations to come.”
Over the last few months, Collins repeatedly fielded questions about the WTS and the Berwick Springs Lake, delving into EPA guidelines, as well as details on the role council played during the re/naming of the local lake.
There were also a number of occasions where he served as the acting CEO when Glen Patterson had been absent.
Touching further on his almost 20 years of experience, Collins had been the Yarra Ranges Council’s manager of business and community wellbeing, as well as the director of social and economic development.
He held the role of the manager of youth, aquatics and recreation for the City of Monash, and was the coordinator of leisure and culture at Banyule City Council.
His other roles included the director of Yarra Ranges Tourism, directors of Anchor Inc, and the committee of management for the National Growth Areas Alliance, a role he still holds until now.
The City of Casey chose not to comment on Collins’ appointment as CEO.
Cardinia’s mayor, Jack Kowarzik, said that Collins was selected from an impressive list of applicants during the independent recruitment process.
“We received strong interest from a number of exceptional candidates for the CEO role, which speaks to the exciting opportunities this role offers – not only to lead the organisation, but also to help shape one of Melbourne’s largest growing communities,” Kowarzik said.
“James has a very grounded and authentic leadership style with extensive experience in local government, particularly within neighbouring councils.
”He understands and will be able to balance the needs of diverse, rural, and urban communities, manage significant asset portfolios, and secure external funding to address infrastructure gaps.”
With Collins’ experience locally, Kowarzik is confident that he will be able to lead with his knowledge of key issues.
“With this experience and ability to build strong relationships across the community and government sectors, I’m confident James will thrive in this role,” he said.
