As the make-up of the next Sunshine Coast Council continues to take shape, several of the candidates for mayor have expressed hope that it will signal a new era for the region.
Counting is continuing to determine the winners of Saturday’s council elections, with Rosanna Natoli leading Ashley Robinson and Jason O’Pray in the race to replace outgoing mayor Mark Jamieson.
Mr Robinson said he believed the early results suggested people in the region wanted change.
“It appears clear at this point that a significant number of voters wanted a female mayor,” he said.
“Rosanna has obviously run a hard campaign and if she wins I take my hat off to her. It’s obviously not her first rodeo.
“She may now have the opportunity to do what she said she would do.”
Related story: Natoli and Wilkie continuing to lead mayoral races
Fellow mayoral candidate Wayne Parcell, who had about 6 per cent of the vote, also emphasised the importance of elected officials delivering on their promises.
“The results have delivered a significant change to the composition of the council,” he said.
“Along with everyone else, I hope that change will be surprisingly good, delivering on the promises that were made.
“There are great expectations of the new mayor. Along with the promises made, there is a lot to deliver to the whole Sunshine Coast region.
“We all want the new mayor to succeed as we will all share that success.”
But Michael Burgess, who received about 4 per cent of the mayoral vote, was sceptical that new leadership would bring change.
“Most promises made won’t be kept because there is no money. And asking for more from the other levels of government won’t work when we are in great deficit to them,” he said.
“Generally, I feel bad about the outcome and concerned the council will continue to be inward focused and use a great deal of ratepayers’ money on their special projects like the Blue Heart and $30m to $40m on an art gallery in Caloundra.
“As long as this inward focus continues the real economic issues won’t be dealt with.”
Mr Parcell also took aim at the voting systems used to determine the election.
“There was widespread voter complaint about the voting system and how it was delivered,” he said.
“An outcome that sees a mayor who was not chosen by 70 per cent of the voters is far from ideal.
“The common complaint about the lack of consistency with the state and federal system felt like arrogance to the voters.
“The state government needs to bring confidence back to the electoral system so the results meet the community’s expectations.”
Mr Robinson said he had mostly enjoyed campaigning to become mayor.
“It’s been an experience I will never forget. The council needed a shake-up and got one,” he said.
“I hope the council bureaucrats are paying attention.”
Mr Burgess, who said he was hoping for about 10 per cent of the vote, said he was optimistic about one thing after the election.
“Hopefully, we have seen the end of illegally placed corflute signs in elections,” he said.
Mrs Natoli, Mr O’Pray and Min Swan were also contacted for comment.
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