Community
13 February, 2024
Seven-horse race for Cairns mayoralty
SEVEN mayoral candidates and 33 divisional contenders are contesting the 2024 Cairns Regional Council elections on March 16.
Three team leaders and four independent candidates will aim for the top job.
Cairns deputy mayor Brett Moller has retained division one as the only nomination in the elections at the close of registrations at noon today.
Also keeping their seats are Crs Nicholas Pervan (division 4), Jeffery Baines (division 5) and Renee McLeod (division 6) on the Cassowary Coast Regional Council.
The Cairns mayoral candidates include current mayor Cr Terry James who was appointed to the role in November after the resignation of Bob Manning. He heads the Unity Team, also formerly headed by Mr Manning.
Division 5 councillor and leader of Team Eden Amy Eden wants to lead the city after just one term in council.
Community first leader and long-time environmentalist Denis Walls is having a go at the mayoralty for the first time.
Former senior cop Paul Taylor, whose decades-long police career ended suddenly in 2022, now wants the region’s top civic role.
Businessman and independent John Kelly (John Kel on ballot paper) is running as leader of the Common Sense Party which has yet to announce candidates.
Ex-sex worker and current comedian Leah Potter of Cairns North is campaigning on a platform of live music and free condoms.
Warren Vetters (Warren Binda on ballot paper) is also an independent, describing himself as a country music recording artist/singer song writer in Australia, a proud Indigenous koori murrawarri and now a film writer and co-producer.
Division 1
Division 1 incumbent and deputy mayor Brett Moller returns to the council chambers after being the sole nomination.
Division 2
In the southern corridor, incumbent Rob Pyne is contesting division 5, leaving a competitive field of six candidates, including former division 2 councillor John Schilling, Cairns Chamber of Commerce vice-president Matthew Tickner and high school teacher Stephen Lippingwell as independents. Unity has put forward businesswoman Nikki Giumelli, Team Eden’s candidate is community advocate Kesa Strieby and Community First has nominated Indigenous community facilitator Patricia Courtenay.
Division 3
Popular incumbent Cathy Zeiger has no independent competition but faces Unity’s business woman Heidi Healy and small business owner Marisa Seden.
Division 4
Unity’s Cr Jeremy Neal has filled the vacancy left by Cr James who was elevated to mayor. The paramedic was controversially elected to the spot last month using the majority held by Unity councillors. Other candidates are Team Eden’s radio host Trevor Tim and independents Shane Cuthbert and Cate Mahoney.
Division 5
In division 5, Cr Rob Pyne is having a third go at a division, having served in divisions 2 and 3. He is up against Unity candidate Nathan Lee Long, who is a professional project manager and former
Urban Development Institute of Australia Far Northern president, and local business owner Emma Gelling for Team Eden. Independents are Birgit Ariana Machnitzke, the owner of Helga’s Pancake House in the CBD, and Cairns North small business owner James Coll.
Division 6
Incumbent Cr Kristy Vallely represents Unity. She is up against local business owner and independent Alan Benn, Team Eden’s candidate, real estate agent Shane Trimby, and GP Nicole Sleeman for Community First.
Division7
Retiring three-termer Cr Max O’Halloran (Unity) is retiring with pharmacist Matthew Calanna representing Unity. Also contesting the seat is physiotherapist and businesswoman Anna Middleton as an independent, Community First’s Renee Lees, who is a lawyer and former federal senate candidate, and Ian Moller Nielsen, the Cairns Show Association secretary-
Division 8
Incumbent councillor Rhonda Coghlan (Unity) comes up against independent and last year’s volunteer of the year, Hannah Boon, 2023 woman of the year Jo Piggott (Team Eden), and Community First’s Phillip Musumeci, who was the 2022 Greens’ federal candidate for Leichhardt.
Division 9
In the most northern division 9, it will be a tough task to roll fiercely independent Brett Olds. Both Unity and Eden teams are not fielding candidates while Community First has put up Carine Visschers, who has lived in the northern beaches for 28 years and has had a long professional career in the Department of Housing and community organisations.
Douglas Shire Council
Douglas Shire deputy mayor Cr Lisa Scomazzon will slog it out with independents - passionate Port Douglas resident and public transport advocate David Haratsis and former recycling business owner Stacy Wilkinson who belatedly threw their hats into the ring this week.
Three incumbents – Crs Abigail Noli, Roy Zammataro and Peter McKeown are standing again for four seats on the council.
There are nine other independents including Douglas Chamber of Commerce president Jeremy Blockey, police Sergeant Damian Meadows, Chris Barber of Paws and Claws refuge and boarding centre at Craiglie, former councillor and council chief executive Terry Melchert, businessman and Douglas FM radio personality Michael Joseph, fishing, men's shed and Tin Shed stalwart Bill Allison and freelance travel and lifestyle journalist Sara Mulcahy, Mossman scientist Peter Wood, lifeguard Michael Rees and Mossman business owner Pia McKeown.
Cassowary Coast Regional Council
Cassowary Coast Regional Council has a two-horse race for the mayoralty with incumbent Cr Mark Nolan seeking a second term and division 2 councillor Theresa Millwood is the other candidate.
Cr Nolan has been a councillor and deputy mayor since 2004. Cr Milwood has been on the council for one term.
Ten people are contesting the six divisions. Other councillors seeking re-election are deputy mayor Barry Barnes (div. 1) and Cr Terry Tschui (div. 3).
Cr Nicholas Pervan (div. 4), Jeffery Baines (div. 5) and Renee McLeod (div. 6) will retain their seats after there were no other nominations.
Also contesting div.1 is Tully Heads volunteer Chris Littlemore and Tully agronomist Peter Reed while in div. 2 are Tully Heads retiree Marcus Thomas and Tully resident Ellen Jessop.
In div. 3 El Arish publican and former deputy mayor Wayne Kimberley is the other nomination.
