Mark Hammel addresses workload concerns after Deputy Mayor Donna Gates’ incendiary interview
Councillor Mark Hammel, whose upcoming replacement of popular Deputy Mayor Donna Gates has been opposed by some, has moved to reassure ratepayers he is up to the task.
Gold Coast
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Updated: The man replacing long-serving Gold Coast Deputy Mayor Donna Gates says it’s a “big responsibility” he doesn’t take “lightly” after she suggested he had “a huge job ahead”.
Division 1 Councillor Mark Hammel who is also the chair of the planning committee will become the deputy mayor on April 5 after a voted by the council last year as part of a leadership renewal transition.
Cr Hammel, who became chair of the planning committee in mid 2023, said he acknowledged the juggling act would be a “big responsibility”.
“I don’t take it lightly. It’s common for ministers at the state and federal levels to manage multiple portfolios while representing their local communities. I see my future role no differently,” Cr Hammel said. “I’m ready, passionate, and have a clear vision for our city’s future.
“Strong leadership is about surrounding yourself with great people. I’m not alone here – I have the support of the Mayor, my fellow councillors, and chairs.
“They are people I respect greatly, and together, we will work hard to achieve the best outcomes for our city.”
Cr Hammel said, he considered Ms Gates a “mentor”: “Donna is not going anywhere, and I’m sure her experience and knowledge will continue to benefit the northern Gold Coast for years.”
His comments come after she said in Friday’s Bulletin her exit from the role back to being a councillor was “not my choice” but she “accepted” the transition vote, adding: “I don’t have any restrictions on my time – the overwhelming view of councillors is there is a huge job ahead for the chair of planning let alone taking on the responsibility for deputy.”
The was widespread opposition to Ms Gates being replaced after city leaders and the public said she had excelled in co-ordinating the council’s response to Tropical Cyclone Alfred in Mayor Tom Tate’s absence.
Former councillor of 12 years William Owen-Jones said he believed community sentiment was very clearly against her being replaced, posting on the Bulletin Facebook: “In my opinion this is a perplexing decision to be going through with at this point in time.”
“With a little bit of grace and humility, this could all be resolved at Tuesday’s full council meeting with a simple Mayoral Minute,” he wrote.
“In my opinion it is perfectly acceptable to admit that a decision made 12 months ago is no longer the correct decision given the current circumstances.”
Speaking to this masthead, Mr Owen-Jones said the concentration of two important functions – deputy mayor and planning chair – in the hands of a single elected member had never been done before and couldn’t have come at a worse time, in light of the imperative to progress a new City Plan, after reforms were ditched at the start of last year amid an acrimonious dispute with the state government.
“In the lead up to the change to the City Plan in 2016, we actually had a senior councillor in Greg Betts lead the City Plan work to share the load between the chair of planning and the work required to deliver the new City Plan,” Mr Owen-Jones said.
“We recognised the need to share the load rather than increase the load.
“It’s a lesson this current council could take on board.”
Gold Coast Mayor Tate has made it clear despite his praise for Ms Gates’ cyclone leadership he favoured sticking with the transition to Mr Hammel.
Gold Coast deputy mayor Donna Gates says replacement Mark Hammel has big job ahead
Earlier: Long-serving Gold Coast Deputy Mayor Donna Gates isn’t holding back as she prepares to exit the role in a mid-term transition that not everyone is happy about.
In an exclusive interview on Thursday weeks out from her replacement by Division One councillor Mark Hammel, Ms Gates said it wasn’t her choice to step aside, adding she “accepted” the decision voted in last year for Cr Hammel to replace her as part of leadership renewal a year after the election.
Cr Hammel, the chair of the council planning committee, takes over in early April when Ms Gates will step back solely into her councillor role.
“It was not my choice to step aside,” she said on Thursday, adding: “I don’t have any restrictions on my time – the overwhelming view of councillors is there is a huge job ahead for the the chair of planning let alone taking on the responsibility for deputy.”
Councillors have had talks about whether it was the right time for the already-decided transition after Ms Gates’ widely praised performance leading the City response during the Cyclone Alfred weather emergency sparked community and city leader calls for her to stay on.
Time is running out for one of the councillors or Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate to put forward an item of general business ahead of next Tuesday’s council meeting to rescind the decision to replace her with Cr Hammel – and it looks unlikely.
Asked if she would have been happy to stay on and supported a motion for her to do so if a fellow councillor had put it on the agenda, Ms Gates said: “I would have supported that outcome to support my colleagues if there were enough of them that wanted that to be the case.
“I know there were rumblings, but if you watch council it won’t matter if 10 said they supported me, when it came to put the motion up, that would change.
“I don’t want to be part of a failed attempted to do something when clearly the mayor wants a change.”
Asked if she would put forward such a motion, Ms Gates said: “I will not be moving a motion. I feel the Mayor has a right to choose whoever he wants as his deputy. And he has made it very clear he wants to move towards the next generation.”
Mr Tate has made it clear he has full praise for Ms Gates’ handling of the weather emergency during his extended absence as he tried to make it back from the NRL opening in Las Vegas.
But he favoured sticking with the plan for the transition to Mr Hammel.
Mr Hammel said earlier this week he “had the utmost respect for how Donna has gone about serving her community as Deputy Mayor and divisional councillor for the past 13 years”.
“I am humbled and honoured that the Mayor and my fellow councillors supported me with a resolution of council to become the city’s new Deputy Mayor from April.”
Ms Gates added on Thursday: “For me it’s always been about the community – not me – but about service.”
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