Graham Quirk’s replacement as lord mayor about to be decided
Lord Mayor Graham Quirk’s successor will be catapulted into the role at a party room meeting of LNP councillors on Sunday. We examine the main contenders.
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WHEN Lord Mayor Graham Quirk steps down from Brisbane’s top job next week, he will be the city’s fourth longest serving Lord Mayor, with eight years under his belt.
His successor, who will be catapulted into the role at a party room meeting of LNP councillors tomorrow, may not be so lucky.
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They will have just under a year to persuade voters they are fit to lead the city before heading to an election in March 2020.
The contest within the LNP is shaping up as a two-horse race, with both Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner and Community Services Chairman Peter Matic vying for the coveted role.
With issues like the Mt Coot-tha zipline and over development hanging over the council’s head, the new Lord Mayor will have plenty of challenges on their plate.
They will also have to prove to voters that the LNP can renew and deliver more for the city after dominating local politics for more than 15 years.
Councillor Adrian Schrinner has been a very visible figure in the Quirk administration over the past year, even for his high-profile role as Deputy Mayor.
He is a regular at council press conferences and takes the lead on key issues and projects, such as the nearly $1 billion Brisbane Metro.
Having his face in front of the cameras has no doubt helped boost his profile and recognition in the often overlooked world of local government.
And he is a fierce defender of the LNP administration, coming to its aid when it comes under fire from the Labor opposition.
First elected to the council for the Chandler Ward in 2005, Schrinner has steadily risen through the ranks to be the second most senior member in the council chamber.
For the past eight years, the 41-year-old has served as Quirk’s right-hand man after being elevated to Deputy Mayor at age 33 – the youngest in the city’s history.
There are some obvious generational differences between the pair, most notably on social media.
While Quirk doesn’t directly run his own social media accounts, Schrinner uses Twitter to push the administration’s case.
He is even known to sometimes spar with the likes of Transport Minister Mark Bailey on the social media platform.
His passion for infrastructure projects was recognised this year when he was appointed to head a long-term transport planning taskforce at the council to deliver projects for the next quarter century.
The key projects he pointed to included expansions of the Brisbane Metro as well getting more green bridges off the ground.
Upon announcing his resignation yesterday, Quirk was quick to praise his second- in-charge as a “loyal and a very strong Deputy Mayor”, before pointing out there could be other contenders.
Indeed, Peter Matic could throw a spanner in the works of Schrinner’s almost meteoric rise to the top of Brisbane City Council.
He’s the outsider in a race that is often won by a deputy, but his candidacy shouldn’t be overlooked.
He became a councillor in Brisbane’s west in 2007, filling a vacancy, before going on to win the next three elections in an area known for its high Green vote.
However, at the last election, in 2016, he won with a margin of just over 5 per cent, with the Greens coming in second.
The minor party has its sights set on clinching the Paddington ward in next year’s poll and the introduction of compulsory preferential voting could help them.
Matic has held some of the most senior roles at Brisbane City Council, first appointed to the Civic Cabinet under former Lord Mayor Campbell Newman more than a decade ago.
During the recycling debacle that gripped Australia last year, when Ipswich was forced to scrap its own recycling operation before reinstating it, he was a vocal defender of the service.
Serving as the council’s Field Services Chairman at the time, he pushed the administration’s “clean, green and sustainable” message and reassured an anxious community that recycling was here to stay.
“Our Administration has a great track record of delivering for residents and I want to serve the people of Brisbane at the next level and make our city even greater,” he tells Insight, while confirming he will run for the top job.
But if Schrinner is successful in tomorrow’s leadership ballot, Brisbane will also be in line for a new Deputy Mayor and among those putting up their hand for the number two job is Holland Park Ward councillor Krista Adams.
Elected to Brisbane City Council in 2008, she has played an influential role in the Quirk administration as its finance chairwoman, managing the council’s $3 billion budget.
She could face competition, though, from field services chairwoman and Central Ward councillor Vicki Howard, with sources yesterday suggesting she could make a tilt for deputy position.
Whoever wins the ballot tomorrow will have big shoes to fill after an almost scandal-free eight years under Graham Quirk.
The Lord Mayor earnt praise from across the political spectrum yesterday, with his predecessor Campbell Newman thanking him for his service to the people of Brisbane.
“You have made a major contribution to our community and can be proud of your legacy,” Newman told him.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk also acknowledged his contributions, saying he had always been a pleasure to work with, and Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe paid tribute to Quirk’s long service to local government and the city.
“Graham’s genuine and heartfelt commitment to an inclusive, multicultural Brisbane is his greatest legacy,” he said.
The winner of the ballot will also have to square off against Labor’s lord mayoral candidate Rod Harding, who was yesterday pushing the case for renewal at Brisbane City Council.
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