Gold Coast City Council election 2024: Full list of candidates including mayor and divisions
A wave of anti-Tom Tate candidates, including high profile former councillor Eddy Sarroff, have nominated for Gold Coast council seats in a last-minute flurry of activity. FULL LIST
Council Election
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A wave of anti-Tom Tate candidates, including high profile former councillor Eddy Sarroff, have nominated for Gold Coast council seats in a last-minute flurry of activity which promises to turn the contest on its head.
Mr Sarroff along with Mona Hecke and Brett Lambert, both previous mayoral candidates, all nominated just before the midday close of nominations on Tuesday.
Division 4 councillor Shelley Curtis was the sole incumbent re-elected automatically after going unopposed.
Gold Coast voters will choose from the smallest field of candidates in more than a decade.
Just 46 people have put themselves forward as candidates for the March 16 election, down from the record 68 who ran in 2012 and 56 who ran in 2020, including a record nine mayoral hopefuls.
Mr Sarroff and Mr Lambert both nominated to contest the mayoralty.
It will be the second match-up between Mr Tate and Mr Sarroff, who have had an intense rivalry for more than a decade.
Mr Tate, who is hoping to secure a fourth term in power, took aim at Mr Sarroff’s credentials.
“I welcome anyone keen on representing our city but my concern with this candidate is he has been a failed Labor Party candidate; a failed mayoral candidate and was the Finance Chair in council in 2011 when council was hammering ratepayers with double digit annual rate increases,” he said.
“His financial management, and political allegiances, are highly questionable.”
Mr Sarroff, who served on the council from 1995 to 2012, declined to respond to Mr Tate’s statement beyond saying it was “a message from a desperate man”.
Mr Sarroff said he only decided to run on Tuesday morning, hours before the close of nominations.
“At 10.45am I was looking at nominations and 11am I was at the bank getting an account set up for that nomination,” he said.
“My candidacy was drive by members of the community and community groups who urged me to put up a challenge.
“It will focuses on accountability and governance as I did so throughout my entire time in council.”
Mr Sarroff has attempted to boost his profile in recent months, supporting his son Edward who is also contesting Division 7 where he hopes to replace suspended incumbent Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden.
Cr Bayldon-Lumsden was last year charged with the murder of his step-father Robert Lumsden. His lawyers have formally entered a not guilty plea to the murder charge.
Ms Curtis, who was appointed last year to replace now-federal MP Cameron Caldwell, was be re-elected after not facing a contest.
Veteran Bob La Castra received an 11th hour challenge from first-time candidate Monique Jeremiah who nominated just hours before the cut off, as did incumbent Surfers Paradise councillor Darren Taylor who will now face Ms Hecke for Division 10, who ran second to Mr Tate in the 2020 election.
The poll is on March 16. Early voting starts on March 4.
MAYOR
Tom Tate (incumbent)
Virginia Freebody,
Danielle Dunsmore,
Lavinia Rampino,
Jennifer Horsburgh (Animal Justice Party)
Gary Pead
Rosie Foster
Eddy Sarroff
Brett Lambert
DIVISION 1
Mark Hammel (incumbent)
Lisa Findlay (Animal Justice Party)
DIVISION 2
(No incumbent following the retirement of William Owen-Jones)
Naomi Fowler
Ben Findlay
DIVISION 3
Donna Gates
Michael Banham
Tamzin Revell
DIVISION 4
Shelly Curtis (Incumbent) - Automatically re-elected without a challenger
DIVISION 5
Peter Young (Incumbent)
Martin Vincent
Katherine Brooke
Craig Bastin
DIVISION 6
Brooke Patterson (incumbent)
Samantha Delmege
David E Woodley
DIVISION 7
Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden (Incumbent)
Joe Wilkinson
Jenna Schroeder
Edward Sarroff
Joel McInnes
Bruce Byatt
DIVISION 8
Bob La Castra (Incumbent)
Monique Jeremiah
DIVISION 9
Glenn Tozer (Incumbent)
Sarah Denny
DIVISION 10
Darren Taylor (Incumbent)
Mona Hecke
DIVISION 11
(No incumbent following the retirement of Hermann Vorster)
Nic Rone
Dan Doran
DIVISION 12
(No incumbent following the retirement of Pauline Young)
Luke Henderson
Cathy Osborne
Nick Marshall
DIVISION 13
(No incumbent following the retirement of Daphne McDonald)
Josh Martin
Nikki Archer
DIVISION 14
Gail O’Neill (Incumbent)
Kath Down
Benjamin Theakstone (Animal Justice Party)
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