Gold Coast City Council election 2004: Inside the controversial local government campaign
A desire to “stop those greenies” sparked an alliance which changed the course of Gold Coast political history and plunged the council into years of controversy. INSIDE THE BATTLE
Council Election
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When it comes to consequential elections for the Gold Coast, few are better-known than the 2004 poll.
It saw a significant turnover in councillors, thanks to retirements and electoral defeats, including the departures of Mayor Gary Baildon and Deputy Mayor Alan Rickards.
But more dramatically, it became the topic of a multi-year investigation and public hearings held by the Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) into an alliance of “like-minded” candidates which became known as “the bloc”.
Tensions had been building within the council for years, with a significant split between two key factions – the pro-business, pro-development side which included the city’s two planning bosses – David Power and Sue Robbins, and the “troublemakers” – outspoken councillors Peter Young, Eddy Sarroff and Dawn Crichlow.
Mr Power later revealed he decided to join the push in October 2003 to “stop the city being taken over by extremist green groups”.
“I was warned back in October what was happening. It wasn’t until after that when I decided to make myself freely available to give advice,” he said at the time.
“I knew that a sitting councillor was trying to get someone to run against me.
“I was also aware organisations such as Gecko and a few others were actively forming a network to try and get as many candidates up as possible.
“This council shouldn’t be about pro-development or pro-green, it should be about pro-balance. It was common knowledge mid last year that the extreme environmentalists were going to try and make a move.
Questions were raised through the 2004 campaign about well-funded candidates who were running with big financial backing.
Finally, just a handful of days before the March 2004 election, prominent developer Brian Ray outed himself as the “kingmaker” who, along with prominent business figures including Sunland founder Soheil Abedian, Blue Sky Capital’s Con Nikiforides, developers David Devine and John Fish had contributed funding to a trust fund which as available to certain candidates.
“Yes, we’re contributing to the fund but that’s all we’re doing,” he said at the time.
“It was suggested there wouldn’t be any preference for the mayoral candidate. The issue was really about trying to establish a caucus-style of council so that there could be some discussions about issues on a collegiate basis, prior to a decision being made.
“The mayor is just one of those people who votes. He only has one vote.”
Candidates who received some of the funds included Grant Pforr, Roxanne Scott, Brian Rowe and Greg Betts. Mr Betts and Mr Pforr were successfully elected while fellow new councillor Rob Molhoek was invited but declined to be involved.
The CMC investigation, chaired by Robert Needham, named then-Mudgeeraba councillor Ted Shepherd as having played a part in the selection of candidates who were eventually chosen to receive financial support during the election.
Public hearings were held in 2005 and 2006 which exposed the significant divide between city leaders. However, but two of the key players were missing – both Mr Ray and Ms Robbins died before the inquiry began.
Mr Needham’s report, Independence, Influence and Integrity in Local Government, was scathing of city leaders.
“In the commission’s view, what happened in this matter could not legitimately be categorised as an ordinary political process unless the Gold Coast is to be treated as another country, where the ordinary responsibilities of public life and obligations to the law that bind the rest of Queensland do not apply,” he wrote.
Revealed: How SMS campaign crippled mayor’s re-election bid
All good things come to an end.
Gary Baildon had been a fixture of the Gold Coast for more than 40 years, having run one of the city’s best-known newsagencies.
He embarked on a political career in local government in the 1980s and was briefly mayor of the original Gold Coast council in 1994-1995.
After losing the post when the Gold Coast and Albert Shire councils merged in 1995, he made a comeback to become mayor again in 1997 and securing re-election in 2000.
But things became more difficult in the years leading into the 2004 council election.
Mr Baildon’s council came under growing criticism from developers and business leaders over the state of Surfers Paradise.
Thee five business bosses putting the Gold Coast City Council on notice were:
* Sunland boss Soheil Abedian.
* Real estate kingpin Max Christmas.
* Developer Jim Raptis.
* Real estate agent Gordon Douglas and
* Retail boss Robin Wright.
They en masse threatened to resign from the council’s Heart of the City taskforce unless city hall put $2m into the suburb.
Mr Abedian told the Bulletin at the time that people retiring to the Gold Coast were initially drawn by the attractions of Surfers Paradise.
“They only reason they came here is because they first visited the heart of the city,” he said.
The stand-off over the upgrade of Surfers Paradise’s roads continued until the 2004 council elections when some of the same powerful businessmen took aim at then-mayor Gary Baildon and Mr Christmas, who by then was the Glitter Strip’s councillor.
At a forum of more than 60 business leaders held by the Surfers Paradise Chamber of Commerce, Mr Abedian slammed city hall.
“Our council can’t make a decision,” he said.
“We have 14 independent councillors. They can hide behind anything and everything, they can shit on officers.
“Council doesn’t have a common vision for this time, they come before every election with new ideas.
“We can talk until tomorrow and come up with ideas but nobody can put it together unless 14 councillors say: ‘This is the heart of the our city, that is what we want to do’.
“Mayor, we love you but you have to bring the other councillors in line to see your visions.
“Please have one vision and we as a soldier will follow you.”
Mr Baildon’s public battles over Surfers Paradise came as legendary distance runner turned businessman Ron Clarke made a bid for the mayoralty.
The day before the election saw more than 75,000 nightclubbers sent SMS messages by nightclub operators who spent $16,000 sending the messages in protest against a decision to wind back their opening hours.
The campaign came as a Bulletin poll showed the mayoral battle between Cr Baildon and Ron Clarke was shaping as a cliffhanger.
Mr Baildon said he would not be intimidated by the SMS tactics because the nightclub decision was made to keep young people safe.
Mr Baildon admitted he was concerned by the campaign, he declared he would not be “bullied or threatened”.
“I’m not going to be intimidated by nightclub owners,” he said.
“They’re not going to take over this town.”
“If I’m going to be voted out of office because of taking a stand on important issues, so be it. But I warn the Gold Coast community: Don’t let these people take over.”
Mr Baildon lost office the following day to Mr Clarke, who would go on to serve two terms until he retired from the position in 2012.
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