The Moss Vale man was elected to council for the first time in this month’s local government election, however, it’s not the first time he’s worked for council.

Mr Nelson was previously manager of governance and administration at council, during which time he noticed the shire libraries’ potential for improvement.

“When I was working with council I was given the libraries to look after for a period of time and worked closely with staff, so I know how good they are,” he said. “As a councillor now, I want to be a champion for Mittagong, Moss Vale and Bowral libraries.”

Mr Nelson said he was most appreciative of the hard work of library staff and commended them on their efforts, but said there was enough community demand for expansion of the existing services.

With the expansion of the Mittagong area, including several new housing areas, Mr Nelson said the opening hours of Mittagong Library would need to be reviewed.

The library is currently closed Mondays, and only opens half-days on Wednesday and Saturdays. “I think we can offer a better service to the Mittagong and Moss Vale communities in regard to the opening hours of those two facilities,” he said.