WEST Ward councillor Jo Cicchini says there’s still work to do for the people of Mundaring and will be renominating at the upcoming local government elections in October.

Cr Cicchini not only lives and owns a small business in the West ward but she also grew up in the surrounding area and has seen it evolve throughout the years.

“Being from here, I’m very comfortable in that ward and just want to continue to work for the community,” she said.

“One of the advantages that I have is working in a salon where you do actually hear people’s issues – the daily issues, things that are going on with their lives.

“Having a small business in Swan View, I’m meeting people all the time and I’m getting to know people on a different level.”

Cr Cicchini started working at a salon in Centrepoint at 15-years-old and became a hairdresser at 18.

“I took that job because I thought it was a little bit more glamorous than working at McDonald’s and Hungry Jack’s but it’s not glamorous.

“I can tell you; it’s very hard work.”

After 30 years of hairdressing, she felt the toll the job had taken on her body and at the same time, wanted to step out of her comfort zone and have a career change.

She ran for the Liberal party at the 2021 state government elections where she was unsuccessful.

“But once I’d actually run my campaign for Midland, I had a lot of people in the community, friends and people that I didn’t know, who said, ‘Why don’t you think about running for local government?’,” she said.

“It just seemed to be a natural thing after I ran for state to put my hand up for the local government.”

Cr Cicchini said during her term she’s proud to have voted for the LED lighting upgrade at Brown Park, for concerns surrounding the adverse effects of Covid-19 vaccinations as well as the call to save the John Forrest Tavern.

“Controversially, I’m very proud to be able to still vote for those that came in about the vaccinations to have an inquiry into that with the state government.

“Very proud to stick up for perhaps a minority or the underdog – that’s always been my nature.”

Cr Cicchini said one of the most important things she voted against was the application for a childcare centre in Greenmount.

“At first I thought that was a great idea.

“I was a single mum, I lived right across the road from a family daycare and it was so convenient to walk my son across the road.”

But when she visited the site, she saw how close the residential neighbours were.

“It was fitting in too much into this block.

“I really saw the common sense in it and how it would affect the community as much as I’d been a single mum and used that type of service for myself.”

She said despite the white-collared nature of her job as councillor, she considered herself a blue-collar on the inside.

“I think just being a blue-collar, you do roll your sleeves up and work hard and do the job.”