Cr Merlino is a Secondary Teacher and a School Principal. He was educated at University High School and received a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Education at Melbourne University. He also has a Masters of Education from the same University.

Cr Merlino was elected to the City of Whittlesea in 1984 and has served four terms, including two as Mayor in 1986/87 and 1998/99. In his view, public libraries should present opportunities for information, education and inspiration for all and believes the Government should increase its library subsidies to Municipal Councils.

Cr Sam Alessi (Deputy Chair)
Cr Sam Alessi's experience in the local community and local government spans several decades. He was first elected to Whittlesea Council in 1987

Sam Alessi has served a number of terms as President of Whittlesea YMCA and as Vice President of the Victorian Council of YMCAs. Over the years he has supported many community issues.

Sam Alessi has long campaigned for a local library for the Mill Park and Bundoora community - a brand new $8 million Library opened on 21 June2002 on Plenty Road, Mill Park.

Sam Alessi migrated to Australia at the age of eight. He was educated at Moreland High School, LaTrobe and Deakin Universities and the State College of Victoria. He holds degrees in Social Sciences, Education, a Diploma of Teaching, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Science.

A teacher, Cr Alessi has taught in schools in Broadmeadows, Epping, Thomastown and Preston.

Cr Sam Alessi is married, with two daughters. He enjoys gardening, going to the beach and supporting the Melbourne Football Club.

Along with the ongoing drive for improved services for local residents, he says the City's other major issues include providing employment opportunities, supporting local traders and being aware of the needs of municipalities on the urban fringe.

Cr Greg Johnson
I nominated for Council because of the opportunities for helping the community to realise its potential. I’m keen to see as much community engagement as possible with Council and with one another. Council has a role to facilitate projects. Eltham faces big challenges to do with growth and we don’t want to lose Eltham’s character in the process.

My communities interests/involvements include Eltham Gateway Action Group member; Eltham Historical Society and the Nillumbik Reconciliation Group.
My three priorities for my term as Councillor are to strengthen policy around medium density development to support Neighbourhood Character. To review Eltham Structure Plan to ensure it’s what the community wants – including traffic management. To plan the future for our Green Wedge, consistent with State Government policy (Urban Growth Boundary and Green Wedge legislation).

My background is in engineering with CSIRO; I then undertook degree to become a secondary school teacher – my last 10 years as a teacher was spent at Montmorency Secondary College. Always been interested in local affairs. Two children were raised locally – they are now adults – and we’ve lived locally for 35 years. I holidayed in Eltham as a child.

My interests outside Council are family and grandchildren; bird watching; camping and bush-walking; and going to the cinema

Cr Warwick Leeson

I’m motivated to ensure the protection of this unique environment, and the wonderful township neighbourhood character.

I’m a supporter of the Kangaroo Ground Fire Brigade (CFA) and the Andrew Ross Museum in Kangaroo Ground. I’m the Council representative on the Kangaroo Ground War Memorial Tower Advisory Committee and Secretary of the Nillumbik Reconciliation Group until the AGM in November 2005, and I'm also a member of a number of Landcare and environment groups.

Three priorities for my term as Councillor are to protect and preserve the unique environment and neighbourhood character of Nillumbik; to find solutions to Nillumbik’s road, traffic and transport problems; and to work towards making Nillumbik a plastic bag-free Shire.

My main interests are community service.

Cr Tom Melican
Tom is a happily married father of 4 teenagers and a Banyule resident for the past 25 years. He considers being a Councillor as a great privilege that brings many responsibilities.

Cr Melican believes that being an independent Councillor enables him to judge every issue, and make decisions based on what he considers is in the best interest of residents.

"Being able to act on behalf of residents and not having to consider any political master is very important" he says.

Tom has worked for a large financial institution for 33 years, and manages to maintain a very active sporting life alongside work, Council and family commitments.

He has an incredible amount of energy, and thoroughly enjoys his very active lifestyle. A very keen cyclist, he rides his bike 60km return to work every day, and still has time to play football for Macleod Football Club.

The main reason Tom decided to join Council was because of his concerns over the many traffic related issues that face Banyule residents. He believes that the public transport system needs to be upgraded and extended to relieve the traffic congestion within Banyule.

"There needs to be a strategy on how we can manage the ever increasing traffic volumes on Banyule roads" he says. The zone ticketing system is also unfair, it encourages people to drive to inner zones, and should be replaced.

The preservation of the neighbourhood character that makes Banyule such a wonderful place to live is very important, and Councillor Melican is committed to ensuring that development does not destroy Banyule's character.