The new look Moreton Bay Regional Council has finally been confirmed after a lengthy election process
After more than three weeks of waiting the new look Moreton Bay Regional Council has finally been confirmed – it includes a new mayor and six new councillors.
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The new Moreton Bay Regional Council, which includes five new councillors, will be lead by Peter Flannery.
Three weeks after the election was held the Electoral Commission of Queensland has officially declared a winner for each division of the council.
The new councillors and mayor are expected to be sworn in tomorrow, at the Caboolture and Strathpine Chambers to ensure social distancing restrictions are adhered too.
Here is who makes up the 2020 Moreton Bay Regional Council:
Mayor: Peter Flannery
Cr Peter Flannery is just the second mayor of the Moreton Bay Regional Council, replacing retiring Mayor Allan Sutherland.
It was a close contest between Cr Flannery and Chris Thompson.
Cr Flannery said after such a long wait, and a close contest with fellow candidate Chris Thompson, he had mixed emotions.
“The margin was about 8000 votes,” Cr Flannery said.
“I am excited to get down to work as soon as we can and form the new council.
“We have many issues to deal with, in particular those that have arisen from coronavirus.”
Division 1: Brooke Savige
Brooke Savige was reflected to division 1 after securing 78 per cent of the vote.
“It was a very interesting campaign, with all the changes at polling booths. I had to accept that I could do no more and hoped my efforts had been enough,” Cr Savige said.
Cr Savige said there were a number key areas she would advocate for in the new council.
“The planning scheme must reflect community sentiments and we must go back to the drawing board and reflect what the community wants,” she said.
“We need to be changing policy to better support the people who make up our region.”
Division 2: Mark Booth
The father-of-two has lived in the division his whole life. Cr Mark Booth said he put his hand up for the job after being concerned by the way development in the area was going.
New Mayor Peter Flannery was the previous councillor for this division.
Mr Booth said he had a long list of things he hoped to achieve during his four-year term.
“I think most priorities will be put on hold, my No. 1 priority is going to be delivering the stimulus package and helping residents and local business owners weather the storm of the coronavirus and help them recover afterwards,” he said.
Division 3: Adam Hain
Adam Hain has been re-elected for his second term with a convincing win over Amy Smith and Rodney Hansen.
Cr Hain, who has confirmed he plans to run for deputy mayor, said one of the council’s first major tasks will be the 2020-21 Budget.
“It is a six week process so as soon as we are all declared we will be into it,” he said.
“The new councillors will be thrown into the fray of budget workshops that fast and hard their heads will spin, I know from experience because that is exactly what happened to me when I was first elected in 2016.”
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Division 4: Jodie Shipway
Newly elected councillor Jodie Shipway said she was most excited about the number of new councillors elected.
“We have six new councillors now, which will give us a fresh approach for the region, that is what I am looking forward to most,” Ms Shipway said.
“I met some great community groups during my campaign and I am looking forward to fulfilling the promises I made to them along the way.”
Ms Shipway said COVID-19 meant council just had one huge priority at the moment and that was to “get people through this”.
She said buying local was now more important than ever before.
Division 5: Sandra Ruck
Sandra Ruck replaces retired councillor James Houghton in Division 5.
The vote count at some stages was very close between Ms Ruck, Troy Fernandez and Peter Parkes.
“I was very happy with the results throughout the count as the trend had been set early on at the primary vote count and this trend continued onwards and upwards from that count through to the pre-poll, postal and each preference count,” Ms Ruck said.
“Also it is important to remember that there were five candidates running in division 5 so the count between some candidates was always going to be close.
“I am really looking forward to working with our all our councillors who come from diverse backgrounds and bring with them a wide variety of skill sets.”
Ms Ruck said she was interested to learn the priorities of other councillors.
“Already conversations have highlighted the need to get our town plan right, infrastructure is also on the table and I would like to address some of the concerns which residents have raised throughout the campaign,” Ms Ruck said.
“I am very much looking forward to healthy and engaging communications between the MBRC and its residents.”
Division 6: Karl Winchester
Karl Winchester is following in his mother, Koliana Winchester’s footsteps after being elected as the new councillor for division 6.
Mrs Winchester stepped down earlier this year, before Mr Winchester announced his plans to run council.
“The campaign was a difficult time for candidates, voters and the electoral commission but we have seen that the vast majority of voters cast their ballots,” Mr Winchester said.
“This election, I prioritised reviewing our planning scheme, building infrastructure to support growth and reducing council costs for households and businesses.”
“Right now, our absolute focus must be on supporting our community through the great health and economic challenges we face.” Mr Winchester said.
Mr Winchester said he was looking forward to being sworn in and getting to work.
Division 7: Denise Sims
Returning councillor Denise Sims was declared a winner even before the voting started as she was uncontested.
Cr Sims said her first priorities would be to deliver the next round of the council’s COVID-19 stimulus package to help communities thrive again.
She has also requested the projects to upgrade Brays Rd and McClintock Drive and the Boundary Rd roundabout be bought forward.
“I along with my fellow Councillors will also be working with the Mayor, CEO & staff to help the newer members get up to speed with the budget process as quickly as possible,” Cr Sims said.
“I’m very much looking forward to working with our new look council which will bring a diversity of thinking and skills that will help our region flourish.”
Cr Sims said she too planned to put her hand up for the role of deputy mayor.
Division 8: Mick Gillam
Cr Mick Gillam is now the only councillor who has served on Moreton Bay Regional Council since amalgamation (with Peter Flannery now Mayor).
“My top priority will be helping getting council up and running by helping out the new councillors in getting up to speed,” Cr Gillam said.
“Half the council are new and unfamiliar with how council operates and we will be moving into Budget very shortly.
“This will take up a lot of time and be very informing for them on where the dollars go and how we get them.”
Cr Gillam said with so many new faces on the council it was a “golden opportunity to try and get rid of the old shire mentalities and start to think on a regional basis”.
“The council has been well set up by previous councils both operationally and fiscally and I hope this continues.
“We have challenges ahead in keeping our community in employment and this Council should do its small part in helping the State and Feds keep people ticking over until things get back to a better place.”
Division 9: Cath Tonks
New councillor Cath Tonks beat former deputy mayor Mike Charlton by just 88 votes.
Ms Tonks has always lived and worked in the region and decided to run for council as she could see a “need for change”.
Her top three priorities as a councillor are to protect the green spaces and native wildlife, have more community events to bring people together and to listen to residents and be their voice on council issues.
“The new councillors together with returning Councillors and our new Mayor will bring some new ideas and outlooks to Council and I look forward to representing the residents of Division 9,” she said.
Division 10: Matt Constance
Matt Constance was re-elected unopposed to division 10.
Cr Constance said supporting the community through the COVID-19 pandemic will be one of the biggest challenges the council faces this term, as well as rebuilding the community’s trust and faith in the organisation.
“The future looks very bright with a refreshed and revamped council with lots of new ideas and I look forward to seeing how we can manage and deliver those for our region,” Cr Constance said.
He said his top three priorities are to support and improve local services such as libraries, pools, SES and future facility planning.
Cr Constance said the council needs to “get the basics right so we can build a stronger community and more transparent council”.
He also wants to support active lifestyles with greenspaces for children, seniors and those with disabilities.
Division 11: Darren Grimwade
Returning councillor Darren Grimwade said it was now more important than ever for the council to take a regional approach in order to emerge stronger from COVID-19.
“Every decision we make and every action we take has to consider the region as a whole, because all our communities are suffering the same kind of pain at the same time,” Cr Grimwade said.
He said job creation, business attraction, future building, tourism investment and a new region plan should be top of the list.
“I think the biggest challenge will be to ensure no one is left behind as we work to get back on track,” Cr Grimwade said.
“I believe that a society’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest and most vulnerable members, and I don’t want to see anyone slip through the cracks.”
Division 12: Tony Latter
Tony Latter replaced Adrian Raedel, who ran for mayor, as the councillor for Division 12.
“Over this term in council I look forward to getting projects moving again for Division 12 and representing our region as a whole,” Mr Latter said.
“I love being part of the community and doing what I can to support all the different aspects of our area and seeing infrastructure projects take shape.”
Mr Latter said his top priorities would include a more comprehensive response to the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure job losses were minimised.
He also hopes to bring infrastructure projects forward to address traffic congestion and build a cohesive team that achieves results for residents.
“I am looking forwarding to moving forward in a new look council that sees a new era for Moreton Bay residents,” Mr Latter said.
“I want to make sure that residents are informed and have easy access information for issues that affects their day to day lives.”
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