Mayor Hall’s First Council Meeting Sees Simpson Voted Deputy

Whitsunday Regional Council’s newly elected mayor, Julie Hall, oversaw her first Ordinary Council Meeting on Wednesday at the Proserpine Council Chambers, which involved the induction of a new Deputy Mayor, Councillor Gary Simpson.

Mayor Hall led her first foray into local government operations under the supervision and guidance of fellow councillors, as well as Council Chief Executive Officer Rod Ferguson.

Although there were a few fumbling moments and slips of the tongue at the beginning, Mayor Hall worked her way through the first-day jitters and officiated a successful and straightforward meeting for the local council.

After a minute of silence in respect for the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Ms Hall began with her role’s customary Mayoral Minute – an opportunity to update constituents and councillors on the mayor’s movements during the time between meetings.

Mayor Hall said she would like to utilise her privilege of a Mayoral Minute to act with “dignity and grace” and start today “with a clean slate.”

“I feel it is appropriate to offer a public apology to any councillors, directors, or staff who I may have inadvertently offended during my election campaign,” Ms Hall said.

“We can now put the election behind us and instead work for the community we serve, and the Whitsunday region.”

Mayor Hall was greeted afterwards with questions from the public gallery – highlighting the scrutiny she will now be under from her constituents during her term - the most notable of which came from one of her ex-Mayoral candidate rivals, Phillip Batty.

The Questions each held an underlying theme of council accountability, markedly in reference to the Port Of Airlie Development and its much-publicised critics – Save Our Foreshore Inc.

The meeting also saw the nomination and subsequent confirmation of a new Whitsunday Regional Council Deputy Mayor, Councillor Gary Simpson.

Councillor Simpson claimed the role after a 5-2 vote in his favour. The born and raised Proserpine Local, who runs a cane farm in Strathdickie and has previously directed the Proserpine District Canegrowers Cooperative over a period of nine years, said it was an “honour and a privilege” to be elected Deputy.

“I look forward to the next 12 months,” Mr Simpson said.

He was elected after a prior nomination for Councillor Mike Brunker failed.

Councillor John Collins, in an impassioned speech on the difficulties council will face “for the next eight years”, nominated Mr Brunker for the job, but it was shot down by other councillors on a 4-3 vote – Ms Hall, Councillor’s Al Grundy, Jan Clifford, and Gary Simpson each voting against.

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Newly elected Mayor Julie Hall oversaw her first Ordinary Council Meeting on Wednesday, September 14

The meeting was a straightforward affair other than the instalment of Councillor Gary Simspon as new Deputy Mayor