TATE IS ONLY OPTION ON A LACKLUSTRE POLL SHEET
Love him or hate him, the incumbent mayor has the runs on the board and is the sensible choice to lead our city.
YES back (bigger and better than ever with my own page), just when you thought it was safe to read the Weekend Bully in peace!
No more demanding phone calls from the editor wanting to know when am I returning and, let’s be honest, I didn’t really have a choice. It’s not only a council election year but also a state government election year. I figure that’s bound to release some expansive cannon fodder.
So on with the show. Today this is a virus and hysteria-free article by the way.
The last Saturday in this month we get to decide who gets a seat at the Gold Coast Council. The choices are now sprouting up on corflute signs beside roadways, with eager faces of potential candidates keen to attract our vote. Of course, the new council divisional boundaries also add another layer of intrigue into the process of deciding the rich tapestry of elected officials descending on us all to enlighten us with their tremendous knowledge of wisdom and leadership for our city.
Getting to the point, there is one position up for grabs that is singularly important in all of this. I speak of the role of mayor of the good city of the Gold Coast. And it’s bloody important.
In case you’re not aware the city of the Gold Coast is one of the largest council districts by population in the whole of Australia, second only to Brisbane. It also controls one of the biggest council budgets. So, having a mayor who can show outstanding leadership, can deal with and understand a billion-dollar budget and enthusiastically drive our city is mission critical. It’s a big job and you need a strong, decisive leader to get the job done, particularly in these challenging times.
The incumbent, Tom Tate, is running again. More of him later.
How about the rest of the field for this high-ranking and important position? Maybe to run the school fete or to conduct a game of bingo in the district hall – but run a multibillion-dollar business that is critical to the lives and future of Australia’s sixth-biggest city? Sorry, I don’t think so. Not one of you has demonstrated a clear grasp of the demands of this job.
I particularly loved one candidate’s announcement when he put his name in the ring to run for mayor. He warned all the other candidates that he cut so much sway they should step aside and immediately stand down because of his experience. Seriously? Yep, he has run for previous local and state government positions and managed to always get totally thrashed in any poll. So that certainly gives him experience – experience in being a massive fail. Somehow, I’m not sure that is what our council needs, or any council for that matter! To sum up quickly – you are wasting our time.
Still it’s a free society and provided you meet the eligibility criteria you’re free to run. I just wouldn’t place a big order on the celebration champagne for one simple reason. Most folks realise the importance of the job. Most folks realise what is at stake – they want to see our great city keep going forward and developing, offering real futures for all our kids in an ever-changing world. That leaves us with the incumbent, Mayor Tom Tate.
He’s not one of the standouts in this field, he is the standout. Simple and straightforward fact.
I’m not saying I have agreed with every single thing he has done. Boy I can’t even say that about myself, for crying out loud. But he is the real deal. He gets in and gets the job done. He loves our city and he will always stand up for it. He has the unique ability to somehow get on with state and federal politicians, no matter what their flavour (you’re better than me Tom). He fights for our city on obtaining every dollar for all types of projects and he has that marvellous Aussie spirit of never, ever giving in. There is a lot to like in Tom’s leadership.
Tom has been in the job for two terms now – a lesser man, particularly given both he and his wife’s health issues over the past while, would have lost the vibe, decided it was time and ridden off into the sunset. Not Tom. If possible, he seems to have more fire in his belly than ever before for the future of the city. And with Tom we get a real bonus too! It’s a money can’t buy two-for-one deal – the Mayoress does much more than stand by her man (to quote from a great lyric). Ruth is always active raising both money and awareness around so many important Gold Coast charities and causes. Like the Mayor, she is the real deal and a truly valued asset around city hall.
So why do I rate him? Well his record is impressive. We have witnessed a very strong financial period under his leadership, certainly in contrast to his predecessor. Over eight years rate increases have been at or lower than CPI. It’s a well-managed budget, particularly if you consider the one-off impact of playing host city to the Commonwealth Games in the middle of all of that. And over that period of sustained growth and low rate increases total debt has been reduced some $200 million. Again, lots to like if you want your city well managed.
I’ll even give him a leg up for his considerable part in the establishment of the light rail, which has been an outstanding success – on a scale far greater than I, for one, ever believed possible on the GC. Add to that his clear vision in establishing HOTA and ensuring the city has a strong and active arts scene with an exciting building program headquartered around Bundall, the Green Bridge (which is actually blue by the way), his strong patronage of the Bleach Festival and it all starts to look like a strong resume. I’m not convinced about the strategy around events tourism on the Coast; so, the jury is out for me on that one. But the rest is a bloody good track record.
Mayor Tate understands our city lives and dies to some degree on tourism. So, for me it’s a no-brainer that he drives the debate around a cruise ship terminal and new major tourism infrastructure. That is a debate worthy of having for all of us. He has certainly played a hand in what exactly gets developed at The Spit, which is very much a work in progress. All these potential projects need strong and clear leadership going forward, not someone with an “L plate” on their back who hasn’t even served serious time on council. Why would we take that risk? Answer, we shouldn’t!
Incumbency can be a millstone, but right now we have a clear leader who is dedicated to the cause at hand and, love him or hate him, his track record has been superb for our city. He gets my vote as a high-quality standout for our next mayor in what is a shocker of a very poor field.