Tate to consider joining COMSEQ

Tom Tate says he’ll reconsider the Gold Coast’s membership on a powerful decision-making body if he is re-elected on March 16.

Pressure is growing on the Mayor to rejoin the South East Queensland Council of Mayors (COMSEQ) to ensure the city doesn’t continue to miss out on critical funding deals for key infrastructure projects.

Mr Tate has previously argued the city was saving $350,000 annually by not being a member and argues his negotiation skills and salesmanship are up to the task and uses the securing of light rail Stage 3 funding as an example of his success.

“Re-joining it is a council decision and we will have to decide it in the next term,” he said. “We debate it every term and I give an insight on what has been done and look at the advocacy we have been able to do by ourselves.

“It’s easy say go and spend $350,000 but what do you get from it when you are already getting funding and I can just ring premiers and prime ministers for a catch-up? I don’t see why we need to be part of the council of mayors when the advocacy is already flowing.”

The vast bulk of candidates who spoke on Wednesday at a Central Chamber of Commerce breakfast were supportive of returning to the highpower decision-making body.

Mayoral hopeful Danielle Dunsmore was critical of Mr Tate, saying: “If I was in corporate, where I have been before and I made a f--k up and didn’t pay $250,000 to get $100m I would get sacked.”

Fellow mayoral hopeful Lavinia Rampino said “we need to be at that table” while divisional candidates Nikki Archer and Monique Jeremiah both supported membership.

Carrara’s Bob La Castra is against returning, while incumbent Southport councillor Brooke Patterson said she did not support rejoining.