Tom Tate hires jacked Russian bodyguard after ‘threats’

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has hired his long-time friend and gym trainer as his personal bodyguard and driver, but council sources say it “doesn’t pass the pub test”.

Tom Tate with personal trainer Sergei Chestakov.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has hired his long-time friend and gym trainer as his personal bodyguard and driver at ratepayer expense after threats were made against him.

The appointment of Russian-born Serguei Chestakov to the mayor’s staff on an unspecified salary has raised some eyebrows at Gold Coast city hall, with one insider saying it “doesn’t pass the pub test”.

But another council source said the appointment came after council CEO Tim Baker raised concerns about threats to the multi-millionaire mayor who has been the target of vitriol from sections of the Gold Coast community including anti-development residents and anti-Israel protesters.

Mr Tate hand-picked Mr Chestakov for the role, the source said.

Sergei Chestakov works out. Picture: David Clark

“He drives the mayor everywhere and is always there in the background at events,” they said.

“The appointment was driven by the CEO, not the mayor. The CEO is very security-conscious, there have been some threats and he believed the mayor needed a bodyguard.”

Mr Chestakov has been a long-time friend and business associate of Mr Tate and has trained the powerlifting mayor in the gym for more than 20 years.

“I’m really proud looking at him – the way he was and the way he is now, it’s a big difference,” Mr Chestakov said in a 2016 interview at the Arundel gym where they work out together.

The pair were directors of a company called Crestden Pty Ltd which took over the former Surfers Paradise Bowls Club, where a new high-rise was proposed, in the mid 2000s.

It led to a Crime and Corruption Commission probe which eventually cleared Mr Tate. Mr Chestakov was not accused of any wrongdoing.

Mayor Tom Tate training with Sergei Chestakov. Picture: David Clark

A council insider likened Mr Chestakov’s appointment to that of Mr Tate hiring an evangelical pastor, Sue Baynes, as his “spiritual adviser” on a six-figure salary in 2022.

“It doesn’t pass the pub test,” they said.

But another council source said Mr Tate was so conscious about his use of ratepayer funds he even refunded the council money for charging his electric car at city hall at Evandale.

Sources said Mr Tate, who lives in a waterfront Surfers Paradise mansion, was being driven around by Mr Chestakov in a $150,000 Toyota Land Cruiser.

The mayor’s spokesman did not answer questions from The Courier-Mail about Mr Chestakov’s appointment.

“The Mayor’s Office does not comment on staff matters,” he said.

“At all times the applicable City guidelines and policies are followed. The Mayor’s Office has a “pool car” that is utilised by various staff when performing their duties.”