Flashback: Controversy surrounded donations to councillors from developer Jim Raptis in 1988

A PROMINENT Gold Coast property developer gave out cheques to city councillors days before they voted on a major tower project.

A PROMINENT Gold Coast property developer gave out cheques to city councillors days before they voted on a major tower project.

In a move which shocked the community in the days before a decisive election, political donations again became a major issue.

The year was 1988 and Gold Coasters were again preparing to go to the polls for that year’s council elections.

Jim Raptis.

In the lead-up to the poll, much of the attention was focused on the mayoral race between incumbent Denis Pie, former mayor Denis O’Connell and sitting councillor Lex Bell who was considered the frontrunner.

But concerns turned to the divisional races as it was revealed that millionaire developer Jim Raptis’s group had given gifts of thousand dollar-plus cheques to city aldermen to help them in election campaign.

Mr Raptis, whose company planned to put high-rise towers on Ephraim Island said the gifts were an acknowledgment of “the good work done by aldermen” and he expected nothing in return.

The donations came as council prepared to consider the Eprhaim Island development.

He said they followed approaches by some aldermen for election campaign contributions but did not identify who had made the requests.

He described as “coincidental’ the timing of the gifts before a council meeting where his development was discussed and rejected.

Mr Raptis, whose group wanted to build a 13-storey hotel ringed by nine-storey apartment blocks on the island, said to suggestion the donations were “the subject of any condition or even understanding was an affront to the integrity of the aldermen and himself”.

Aldermen Paul Gamin and Keith Thompson each received $1500.

Ald. Gamin sent his back with a note declining it while Athol Patterson announced he would keep his as a memento of his time in office in a scrapbook but later returned it.

Alderman Paul Gamin (left) refused the donation.

Ald. Thompson said he planned to spend his on a public cause.

Ald. Pie ordered Town Clark Bob Brown to investigate while Local Government Minister Jim Randall also called for a full report describing the donation as “incredible”

The story was broken after outgoing deputy mayor Betty Diamond leaked the details of the case to the media in order to expose the issue.

Mr Raptis told the Bulletin it was “a fallacy to imply favours were sought for electoral contributions”.

“I recognise, as does business generally, that the cost of campaigns is high,” he said.

Lex Bell, 1988 Photographer: Theo Fakos.

“Business recognises its responsibility to return something to the community from which it prospers and to encourage competent and energetic people to undertake the responsibility of public life.”

Cr Bell went on to win the election and became mayor, though the 1988 election and the role developer donations played in the poll was the subject of an inquiry by the Criminal Justice Commission (CJC) in the early 1990s.

Political donations and the Gold Coast City Council would again be the subject of a Crime and Misconduct Commission inquiry into the 2004 elections and the Operation Belcarra hearings into the 2016 elections.