Whitsunday Life’s Mayoral Election Coverage is kicking into gear this week, and we sat down with the region’s six candidates to ask them the questions that matter to you.
1.Why are you interested in the position of Mayor of the Whitsundays?
2.What qualities make for an effective mayor?
3.If elected, what is the first thing in the region that you would strive to change?
Julie Hall
I have chosen to put my hand up for Mayor because I believe our communities are no longer being listened to or heard by the Whitsunday Regional Council and I am standing to offer the Whitsunday region someone who represents the people, A peoples Mayor.
I believe it is time the Whitsundays had representation whose focus is on unity, integrity, and prosperity of all, where everyone benefits not just a few.
A good mayor should be approachable and personable, cares about people and has great leadership skills, someone who has initiative, who sees challenges as opportunities to grow and who is a good team player and a hard worker.
Whilst the current counsellors have more direct Council experience, please don’t underestimate the value that someone like me can bring to the table. I have a large cache of transferrable skills that are easily adapted to government. I have run a successful business for over 16 years, worked as a sales and marketing manager for a large construction company, I have served on the Building and Construction Advisory Board and represented the board on the Regional EVE Committee for Education and Training. I’ve made many contacts in both federal and state government through running in the last federal election and I have gained a wealth of knowledge and experience into the workings of government and politics. Most of all I am a people person who genuinely cares about others because everyone deserves a fair go and to be listened to and heard.
The first thing I will strive to achieve is looking at where we are wasting rate payers’ money so we can reduce costs and ensure we can rein in where council is putting even more pressure on the cost of living for our locals.
Michael Brunker
I have been in Local Government since 1994 as a councillor for Collinsville, then three years later became Queensland’s youngest Mayor at the age of 30 years. I held that Mayoral position as Mayor of Bowen and Whitsundays until 2008, and returning as a councillor in 2012.
I am as passionate about our communities in the Whitsunday region now as I was as a young man back in 1994. I love to have my say on issues brought before council and you’ll always know where I stand. I call a spade a shovel, and certainly don’t say one thing around the council table and another out in the community.
Our job is to set the strategic plan and corporate plans that will eventually link to our annual budget. The mayor’s role is to make sure that when councillors have taken a position or decision that it is carried out by the CEO and our workforce in a timely manner.
Economic development will be crucial this term to encourage industry and government, and I believe I am well positioned to bring in that support from both sectors.
This election will be optional preferential, so you only have to vote 1. I respect the intelligence of the voters and will not be handing out (how to vote cards), so if you support the most experienced candidates in the field, please just vote 1 Michael Brunker.
Phillip Batty
What can a Phillip Batty-led council do for me? There are two answers to that overriding question: offer management of proven ability and integrity, and bricks and mortar pledges of early actions.
First, you will have a council led by a former industry executive who brings 40 years of commercial experience, budget management skills, and proven team leading ability.
A mayor who will pledge to keep rate rises at the lowest possible level while still maintaining all those services a council is charged with providing. And a mayor who ensures he and his fellow councillors will consult regularly and often with our ultimate bosses: you, the ratepayers.
The office of mayor is to do a specific and clearly defined job - consult and act in the best interests of the community. Not make unilateral decisions that may be the product of hidden political or personal agendas.
What I can bring to the office of mayor is what I will not bring to it. There will be transparency in all dealings within allowable regulations, there will be no private agendas, secret deals or going back on my word.
The Mayor needs to be financially literate, passionate about the job and the region, innovative, bold, relentless and focussed. I will strive to be this and more, the effort will be 100%. I am not nor ever have been a member of any political party.
But you then say that talking fine words is easy, what actual issues will you implement or act on first? For starters, a Philip Batty mayoralty will challenge and closely examine the council decision to support the high-rise development on Airlie Beach foreshore.
But there is much more to the WRC responsibilities than just Airlie. I will outline initiatives addressing other issues across the council areas in the coming weeks.
Jan Clifford
As someone who believes in the Whitsundays and its prosperity, I feel that running for mayor is the right thing to do for the region as I have no outside business interests, I do not belong to a political party, I have no family commitments and am available to the community
I am a people person who is passionate about the wellbeing of the community and its residents. I have a diverse working background and have completed all the modules for my Diploma of Local Government. I hold a Diploma in Management and am a Director of Regional Development Australia – Mackay, Isaac & Whitsunday.
I am also a Director of the National Rural Women’s Coalition, The Whitsunday Housing Company Limited and The Greater Whitsundays Community Boards. I openly encourage appropriate and sustainable development and am acutely aware of the critical affordable housing shortage which is the main inhibitor for further growth and sustainability in the region
My aim would be to be more engaged with the community by reintroducing Community Catch Ups along with Town Hall Meetings on important issues such as post budget and major changes or amendments to things like the planning scheme.
Peter J Hood
People have asked me why I put my hand up for mayor. I believe that the whole of the Whitsundays needs a voice and the position shouldn’t be just looked on as a steppingstone once you’ve become bored with being a councillor. It’s not about the perks, it’s about doing the best you can. I’m putting my money where my mouth is and have committed to returning half my mayoral salary back to the community – and that process will be completely transparent.
We have some of the highest rates in Queensland but do you really think we are we getting value for money?
That’s something else we need to talk about. As an accountant and business owner most of my job is about making everything as clear and open as possible. I can’t say our council operates the same way and one of the things that needs to change is the culture. Councillors should be free to speak up and openly argue for their beliefs. Yet there has been a view that WRC is all about getting everyone to agree with the majority and not rock the boat.
Sometimes that majority view is wrong and often it is harmful. And it’s in the area of town planning that most of these harmful decisions impact on us.
So how do we fix it? I’d like to start identifying areas of unmet need and encourage residents, community organisations and businesses to engage with that process. Working with councillors and WRC staff we can look at how we can streamline council’s processes while still being able to stop inappropriate development.
There’s a shopping list of infrastructure improvements we can work on, starting with the way we get around. The roads are average at best and dangerous whenever the weather changes.
We can do better.
Al Grundy
Three years ago, being a Councillor was not even on my radar, let alone running for Mayor. However, while I was chair of Tourism Whitsundays, Mayor Andrew Willcox joined the Board.
At this time a lot of what Tourism Whitsundays was working on was related to developing opportunity across the region.
We were also working closely on the recovery projects post the cyclone so got to understand each other.
After 28 months as a Councillor, I have learnt a lot about local government and the legislative frameworks.
With this position, I want to continue the journey of unifying our towns, indeed my slogan is “4 towns making 1 great community”.
I see potential for positive balanced growth, delivering economic prosperity, supporting existing industries and growing new.
In 2006, I was voted onto the Tourism Whitsundays Board and from 2016 to Oct 2019 I was the Chairman. In many ways, the skills of Chairman are similar to that required to be a mayor, in particular providing strategic direction to the CEO.
The position also requires experience to ensure good governance, financial management, audits, and transparency in decision making.
Media skills to be positive, even in tough times you must keep your head up, show empathy, balanced with ‘Can Do’.
Forging strong relationships and partnerships. Remaining independent, ‘A’ political and work with whoever is holding government. Community Engagement, to be a good listener and to encourage community conversations.
First thing I would strive to change would be to seek opportunities locally to meet our housing shortage.
We should look at every possible opportunity, working with the community, council, developers, agents, housing companies, builders to find local outcomes.
We are a small council, spread over 24,000 sq kms with only 19,000 ratepayers and we need to balance our community service obligations against good financial management.
Projects from the installation of solar panels, to improving commercial practices that realise returns from the council business units. Every dollar from a commercial activity, is a dollar not taken from general rates.
