Perth's new acting lord mayor has vowed to return stability to the council following Lisa Scaffidi's agreement to step aside while she appeals an 18-month disqualification.
Jemma Green was elected deputy mayor of the City of Perth on Tuesday night during a lengthy meeting following a tied vote between former deputy mayor James Limnios and Reece Harley.
Ms Scaffidi stood down in September pending an appeal after the State Administrative Tribunal found she breached the Local Government Act 45 times by failing to disclose gifts, including a $US24,000 BHP Billiton-funded package to the Beijing Olympics.
Ms Green is the co-founder and chair of renewable energy company Power Ledger and has a background in academia and investment banking.
"We've had a lot of division in council and at the recent election there was a clear message from ratepayers that they wanted a council that was going to work together and I think everyone was very cognisant of that," Ms Green told ABC radio on Wednesday.
"Many people in the community and the business are looking for stability and I hope to bring that."
Ms Green said she did not intend to have a conversation with Ms Scaffidi.
She said discussions on Tuesday night had allowed councillors to rebuild fractured relationships and "clear the air".
"We need to make things happen in the city, there's high office vacancy, parking is stifling business, we need more activation, we need to stimulate economic activity," Ms Green said.
Ms Scaffidi lost key backers Judy McEvoy and Keith Young at last weekend's local government elections.
Premier Mark McGowan and Opposition Leader Mike Nahan have long called for Ms Scaffidi to quit.
Retired police commissioner Karl O'Callaghan also weighed in on the "messy" issue on Wednesday, saying the city needed a clean break.
"I think people are probably getting a bit debilitated by the whole thing going on for so long," he told 6PR radio.
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