Down to two different mayors to lead Palm Island Aboriginal Council

The appointment of Palm Island mayor is so far down to 16 votes. Here’s what the leading candidates think their community needs.

Palm Island Aboriginal Council mayoral candidates Alf Lacey and Lex Wotton have 16 votes in between them.

The mayorship of Palm Island Aboriginal Council is down to 16 votes as the two leading candidates offer conflicting views on how the council should be run in the aftermath of mayor Mislam Sam’s term.

Despite their differences in personality former mayor Alf Lacey and activist Lex Wotton want to prioritise the repair of the community’s pontoon, which was damaged from ex-TC Kirrily in late January, and to improve the local economy and increase its independency.

But they both have completely different stances in communicating their message and in how they will involve their local council team.

Former mayor Alf Lacey is leading the count and said “it is too close to call” and that it could take another week for the result to be determined by the Electoral Commission of Queensland.

“Whatever the outcome the community has spoken, you know what I mean?

Palm Island mayoral candidate Alf Lacey is 16 votes in front. Picture: Zak Simmonds

“I’ve always been of that view.”

Mr Lacey said his focus was on achieving projects for residents as soon as possible because they were not interested in long-term investment which could take decades to see benefit, but an issue was the council’s economic reliance on grants.

“For us to build an economy and provide more jobs on Palm Island you can only look at Thursday, Friday and Saturday boats to the main land, all of the disposable income from our community whether its salary income or employment income we throw it into the Townsville economy,” Mr Lacey said.

Palm Island activist Lex Wotton is confident he can get ahead to lead the council. Picture: Blair Jackson

“It’s just about resetting the dial and the mindset of our people … we need dollars coming back the other way, because it’s all going one way off the boat.”

Activist and council worker Lex Wotton said he was “very confident that I’m going to get up there” and believed preferences from third option Obadiah Geia Snr could help him.

Mr Wotton said he had concerns with how the executive team operated and that if elected he would look at the tendering process and to stop money flowing outside of the community through Fly In Fly Out contractors.

He said he filed a complaint to the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) about his concerns with the tender process.

The CCC refused to comment.

Originally published as Down to two different mayors to lead Palm Island Aboriginal Council