James Purcell
Cr James Purcell is the Mayor of the Moyne Shire and the driving force behind the Vote 1 Local Jobs party.
James was born and raised in Bessiebelle (midway between Portland and Warrnambool), by his farming parents Bernie and Bonnie Purcell. He grew up on the family farm with his five siblings, before matriculating from Heywood High and earning his accounting qualification in Warrnambool.
He is a highly qualified accountant – a Fellow CPA – who has owned and operated Australian and international businesses. Cr Purcell has worked in senior financial positions with many of the world’s largest corporations, including Amcor and Glaxo (10 years in Port Fairy, Melbourne and London) and now has his own Port Fairy based accounting firm and self storage business.
James is the former Director of Business & Tourism at the Moyne Shire, a position he resigned from in 2008 before successfully campaigning to join the council in an elected capacity. He is currently serving his second term as a Councillor and was elected Mayor in late 2013.
At the 2010 State election James stood as an independent and achieved more than 11% of the vote – the most successful independent candidate in south-west Victoria’s history. Following this election James was contacted by a Western Victorian newspaper owner asking if he would stand in the Upper House at the 2014 election and fight for Western Victoria.
James’ loyalty to the growth of this region and its wonderful way of life and his devout belief it is possible to be elected to the Upper House has led to the establishment of the Vote 1 Local Jobs party.
He is passionate about ensuring Western Victoria gets a greater slice of the government’s funding and enhancing the region’s positive attributes for residents.
James lives in Port Fairy with his wife Robyn. His parents live in Warrnambool and many of his siblings live nearby. He has three adult children, Nathan, Aaron and Sasha, and three grandchildren – whom also live in Western Victoria.
He is actively involved in the local community and enjoys horse racing in his spare time.