Council election 2020: Former mayoral candidate Keith Douglas to run for Division 9 in Gold Coast Hinterland

A controversial proposal to build a cableway in the Gold Coast Hinterland must be debated, says a prominent council candidate who wants to see red and green tape slashed.

A FORMER mayoral candidate has thrown his hat back in the ring and this time he’s going rural.

Keith Douglas, a familiar face from three past Gold Coast City Council elections, was a last-minute nomination for the March 28 poll.

But instead of taking on the city’s top job or contesting his familiar Broadwater-based seat, he will be running in the Hinterland seat of Division 9, held by incumbent Glenn Tozer.

Gold Coast Council candidate Keith Douglas with his bull Rambo.

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Mr Douglas, who now lives in Numbinbah Valley and runs cattle on a large property, told the Bulletin he had a wide-ranging agenda he wanted to put forward for the area, including fostering debate over Mayor Tom Tate’s controversial plan to fund a study into building a cableway in the Hinterland.

“I am committing to a ‘no bull’ approach to governing in the community’s best interests,” he said.

Cr Tate this year committed to funding a business case into a council-owned cableway to Springbrook in this year’s budget if he is re-elected this month.

The proposal has drawn opposition from some environmental groups and mayoral candidate Mona Hecke.

Mr Douglas said he would campaign on keeping rates low, supporting farmers and harvesters “against the march of environmental extremism”, and cutting council red and green tape to promote new local tourism ventures and eco-venture start-ups.

Mr Douglas is one of four candidates contesting Division 9, which takes in Mudgeeraba, Gilston, Worongary and Tallai.

Other candidates are David Guimaraes, Mary-Anne Hossack and Cr Tozer.