Allan Milostic, Whitsunday Coast Chamber of Commerce
ON TUESDAY (July 25) the Whitsunday Coast Chamber hosted its ‘Meet the Mayoral Candidates 2022’ event, at the Reef Gateway Hotel, Cannonvale.
All six candidates committed to attending, however, Al Grundy was a late apology due to illness and will be given an opportunity to answer the same questions posed to the other candidates on the night.
I gave a brief welcome, outlining the format and rules for the evening and reinforcing our desire for positivity and respect from both the candidates and the packed room.
Annette Harm from the Chamber then took over proceedings as moderator and, following an opening statement by each candidate, she presented a series of pre-submitted questions, followed by several questions from the floor.
None of the candidates were given notice of questions, so it was a genuine test of knowledge, preparation and ability to think on the spot.
The questions spanned most of the significant issues affecting the region, with the candidates outlining their policies, positions and solutions.
The issues raised included housing shortages, short-term holiday letting approvals, town planning and building height issues, the Shute Harbour Marina Resort proposal, environmental issues and recycling, local laws and traffic issues.
The event was recorded and will be up on our FB page and website, as soon we can record Al Grundy’s answers to the same questions.
The evening showed that we have some high-quality, yet very diverse candidates to choose from in this election.
And in a region as diverse as the Whitsundays, each candidate will appeal to voters in all parts of the shire.
It really does reinforce the fact that, as this is an optional preferential election, just voting 1 won’t give us the most preferred candidate.
You can vote 1, number every box or any combination between.
I strongly encourage all voters to number every box – we are at the cusp of further financial challenges but there will be massive opportunities.
We need a leader who will unite and represent the entire region and, most importantly, has the support of the region behind them.