Coffs Harbour Mayor, Denise Knight confirms she will not run for re-election

After announcing she won’t stand for reelection, Denise Knight had some strong words for online detractors responsible for ‘venomous’ comments.

Seven weeks out from local government elections Coffs Harbour Mayor Denise Knight has made a rock-solid commitment – when polls open in September she is going to be 1000km away holidaying in her caravan.

Ms Knight has called time on her career in local government after talking it over with her nearest and dearest.

“At the end of the day it has been the most amazing 13 years of my life,” she said.

In her first interview with The Coffs Coast Advocate after being elected as mayor, a shocked and excited Ms Knight said she had to “take a breath”. Two terms later and Ms Knight reflects on that interview, saying there are similarities in the scenario.

Mayor Denise Knight.

“It is within a degree of sadness that I step aside but it is time, it’s time for someone to sit in the chair and hopefully move the city forward, show some real leadership skills and enjoy it as much as I have,” she said.

“(I said then) it was time for a breath of fresh air in the mayoral chair and I think that it is exactly what it is now, a breath of fresh air in the mayoral chair,” she said.

“I just want the next mayor and councillors to have the passion and the drive that I have had all these years.”

When asked about the most memorable part of the job, Ms Knight is quick to keep it general, praising the staff and promoting the incredibly diverse role that had her handing out awards one day and visiting disaster affected communities the next.

Mayor Denise Knight officially awarded citizenship certificates to almost 2000 residents of the Coffs Coast in her two terms. It’s a part of the job she loves.

In time though, Ms Knight is able to rattle off a few of her achievements in council, including the skate park, extensions to C.ex Stadium, and the redeveloped airport.

“Everyday has been a privilege, everyday has been an honour,” she said. “From having a cup of tea with someone who has a problem to greeting the NSW Blues when they came here, everyday has something different to offer that I have loved doing.

“Working with the staff at council has been outstanding.”

Ms Knight even recounts a time when she was called by a community member concerned about the state of the public toilets. The mayor was later picked up in the woman’s car and the two of them took a drive to inspect the local toilets.

Denise Knight in her first council meeting as Mayor in 2012. Photo: Trevor Veale/The Coffs Coast Advocate.

That then prompted Ms Knight’s push to have many of them torn down and replaced.

“People forget those things that we got done, the little things.”

Ms Knight was first elected to Coffs Harbour City Council in 2008, before claiming victory in an agonisingly close mayoral tussle four years later, winning just 39 more primary votes than incumbent mayor Keith Rhoades and 64 ahead of fellow challenger Cr John Arkan.

After a conclusive re-election in 2016, Ms Knight’s passionate advocacy for the controversial Cultural and Civic Space made her a lightning rod for criticism. This was only compounded with the retirement of Jan Strom which left only eight councillors, a time Ms Knight recognises as the most challenging.

Coffs Harbour Mayor Denise Knight at the announcement of Russell Crowe's new film studio at Pacific Bay Resort in Coffs Harbour on June 16, 2021.

Ms Knight has remained steadfast in her commitment to the project and said she still “loved every minute it, even with the bashing I have received” during her time as mayor.

She maintains that like she said in her first interview back in 2012, her door has always remained open and there have been very few “keyboard cowards” responsible for “venomous” comments on social media which took her up on that offer.

Reflecting on the way the community views council generally, its staff and elected representatives, Ms Knight said because it was the closest level of government to the community, it was the “easiest to kick”.

Mayor Denise Knight with local skaters Jay O'Connell and Sami Taylor view the plans for the skate park at Breslford Park back in 2013. Photo: Leigh Jensen / The Coffs Coast Advocate

“I say this all the time, when you wake up in the morning and you flush the toilet – that’s council.

“When you turn the tap on to have a shower – that’s council.

“When you get in the car and drive to work – you are driving on council roads.”

“Have people lost respect for council? Yes. I think people forget that people in local government are human beings, they are your brothers, sisters, neighbours and cousins.”