Zoë Baker

My passion for North Sydney and our community really began with my mother, Carole Baker. Mum was an ‘activist’, who started out in resident action and ended up becoming the first woman Mayor of North Sydney Council in 1979.

As a teenager, I was certain that I would never stand for Council, but after I had our daughter I was motivated to do more than "just separate the recycling".  In 2008 I was elected to North Sydney Council representing Wollstonecraft Ward.

I wanted to make a difference to my community. I am fiercely committed to representing the interests of all members of our community, particularly in relation to community engagement, planning and environmental controls, sustainability and fiscal responsibility.

I was born at the Mater Hospital, went to primary school at Neutral Bay Public School and then to North Sydney Girls’ High. I’ve lived in North Sydney LGA for most of my life. You could say the North Sydney LGA is in my DNA!

I have an Honours degree in Government from the University of Sydney and hold a Certificate of Excellence in Local Government.  

I am passionate about good urban planning and design. During my time on Council, I’ve championed precinct planning, in particular in the St Leonards/Crows Nest Planning Studies, the Educational Precinct Planning Study and the Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) Best Practice project.

I have also served as:

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• Deputy Mayor

• Director, Local Government NSW (2013-2015)

• Chair of Council's Environmental Reference Group

• Established and chaired Council's Educational Institutions Working Group

• Council's Delegate Community Advisory Group - St Leonards Priority Precinct

• Council's Delegate to Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils

• Chair, Waverton Peninsula Working Group

• Chair, Council's Sustainable Transport Working Group

I bring energy, intelligence and integrity to my role, and a strong commitment to sustainability and innovation in all aspects of Council decision making. I’m an independent in the Ted Mack tradition and have never been a member of a political party.

I am standing again as part of the Real Independents team as we need to bring North Sydney Council back to true independent representation. I have been particularly concerned by many of the decisions this Council has made which I feel have been more in the interests of the State Government and developers rather than the residents and ratepayers of the North Sydney LGA whose interests we are elected to represent.

I am married with a daughter.  Before Council took up so much of my time, I loved to sew and smock, something I learnt from my grandmother who would make me beautiful outfits from photographs I’d give her from Italian Vogue.

I know it’s not very original given my surname, but I also love to bake!

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