Former Candidate Bruce Clarke told FAB FM on Saturday evening that he is back in the race. Last week Bruce explained to the Shire that due to ill health he had to pull the plug on his campaign. But with a clean bill of health from his doctor and being told he CANNOT pull out has put him back on the campaign trail. Bruce explains the turnabout to FAB FM's Paul Makin and how he wants to proceed towards March 28th.

https://fabfm.podbean.com/e/local-government-election-shock-bruce-is-back-and-he-tells-us-why/

With just under three weeks until the Douglas Shire heads to the polls the mayoral and councillor candidates had the opportunity to present themselves to the community. Over 140 people packed into the Mossman Bowls Club on Saturday to meet the candidates, hosted by the Douglas Shire Ratepayers' Association (DSRA).

https://www.newsport.com.au/2020/march/election-candidates-go-head-to-head/

It's an election bombshell. Bruce Clarke, one of the high profile candidates in this months Local Government elections, has pulled the plug on his campaign. He explains the reasons why he had to do it to FAB FM's Paul Makin. The passionate Mossman local reckons it's one of the hardest decisions he's ever made.

https://fabfm.podbean.com/e/mossmans-bruce-clarke-is-out-of-the-local-govt-race-and-he-explains-the-full-reasons-why-he-made-the-bombshell-decision/

Newsport Live Stream for those of you who missed the event or would like to watch it again or send to a friend.

FabFm were also there on the day to record this podcast for their listeners and our members.

Our first public forum was a resounding success where the candidates presented to a full house with standing room only. It was unfortunate and disappointing that Cr Noli chose to respond in writing  Cr Zammataro ignored our invitation and Bruce Clarke was taken ill. However it was nice to see both the candidates and the audience being respectful of each other, and hopefully the event will help you the voter make an informed decision on election day.

We have received very positive feedback from both the candidates and the residents with requests for more public forums in the future. This is something we look forward to doing with the support of our members and the future council.

A big thank you to all who supported DSRA by attending the event and to Newsport and Fab FM who live streamed and recorded the event for those of you who could attend.

Election 2020 is the one stop shop for the latest information on the election and the nine candidates vying for the five positions. Listen to podcasts, read news articles and find the links to the candidates websites and Facebook pages. Keep an eye on this page, as it is updated as and when we receive information from the candidates and the media.

https://www.facebook.com/Newsport.Daily/videos/512932972756954/

https://fabfm.podbean.com/e/the-douglas-shire-ratepayers-assoc-wanted-you-to-meet-the-candidates-but-not-all-of-them-fronted-up-to-face-the-people/

President, Sylvia Healy and Vice President, Clint Reynolds met with local cane farmers and received great support for the DSRA.

They are pictured here with local cane farmer, Gino Santarossa

The Douglas Shire Ratepayers Association (DSRA) President Sylvia Healy and Vice President Clint Reynolds met with Mayor Julia Leu and CEO Mark Stoermer to discuss how the DSRA would like to work with Council. It was a very successful meeting, said Sylvia. All agreed that the DSRA will be an important voice to Council providing a channel for ratepayers to have their concerns raised.

There was a lengthy discussion on water resource management and all agreed there is a lot of work to be done in this area.

It is envisaged that the DSRA meet regularly with Council to encourage open communication and transparency between ratepayers and Council.

Sylvia reiterated that while the DSRA will at times challenge decisions made by Council, the DSRA is NOT aligned to any candidates in the upcoming election and will remain impartial.

Click here to listen to the Podcast with Paul Makin and Sylvia  Healy.

Ratepayers of the Douglas Shire stand and unite to have your voice heard by Council.

A group of local Ratepayers across the Douglas Shire have established the Douglas Shire Ratepayers Association (DSRA) to ensure Council are accountable for the decisions they make, the actions they take and the services they deliver using our money.

“A ratepayers association is not new to the Douglas Shire, one was in place in the early 1900s” said Sylvia Healy a founding member and President of the Association.

“It’s time to re-establish this important community association to ensure Ratepayers are heard”. “I think it’s fair to say that there are many in the community who are concerned about some of the decisions and actions of this Council and the lack of genuine engagement and transparency”. said Ms Healy.

“The Council nearly committed the Shire to an ill-conceived carbon credit scheme with an initial approx. $600K uncapped commitment over 3 yrs and a promise of millions of dollars of advertising and publicity which was never going to come to fruition, showing at the very least incompetence, and at worst a disregard for appropriate community engagement, consultation and a lack of due diligence.” said Ms Healy.

The major goal of the DSRA is to provide a much stronger link between Ratepayers and Council than currently exists, and to ensure more consultation and transparency when decisions are being made.

The Douglas Shire Ratepayers Association (DSRA), will be a collective voice on key issues affecting the Shire and aims to ensure the Council acts in the best interests of ALL Ratepayers not vested sectional interests.

“There are many Ratepayers who have no say in Council elections because they don’t permanently live here. Coincidently a large proportion of these Ratepayers own property in units which has the highest rate in the dollar General Rates (almost double Category 1). The DSRA will give ALL Ratepayers a voice” said Ms Healy.

“We are concerned by the persistent rate increases, lack of effective water resource management, and unplanned discretionary spending.”

“It’s time Ratepayers have a more active say in how its money is being spent and the governance of the Shire.”

“We have joined forces with the Queensland Local Government Reform Association (QLGRA) who have been very supportive and provide us with valuable

information on local government reform initiatives at a state and federal level” said Ms Healy .

However, the strength of the Ratepayers Association will be entirely dependent on its membership. “We will only get the ear of Council if we have the numbers, so we urge every ratepayer to become a member and have a say”, said Ms Healy.

“We have had our Inaugural General Meeting, elected a committee, and endorsed the Constitution. The website is now up and running where people can find more information and join”.

“We urge all Ratepayers to come on board to ensure your issues are heard.” “With Council elections coming up in March, now is the time to send a strong message to Council that we will be watching and hold Council representatives accountable for the decisions they make”. said Ms Healy.

There will be a joint THINK TANK / DSRA public meeting on Saturday March 7th 2pm to 4pm at the Mossman Bowls Club all are welcome.

For more information about the DSRA including how to become a member go to the website www.douglasRatepayers.org.au or FaceBook page.

Click to read the pdf or download here

Saturday 28 March 2020 is shaping up as being one of the most interesting and hard-fought elections seen in the Douglas Shire since de-amalgamation and could prove to be one of the most important for securing its future.

Although the outgoing Council has strong support from some sections of the community, many ratepayers in the shire have been vocal in their dissatisfaction with a perceived lack of transparency and consultation, and some contentious decisions made by Council.

In particular, the carbon trading scheme between Council, Green Collar, Qantas and TPDD that was initially sold to the ratepayers as a deal to end all deals, designed to provide a massive publicity boost for the Shire. The reality however was very different. Investigations undertaken by concerned residents revealed that Qantas had no intention of providing massive amounts of promotion in their inflight magazine or by allowing use of their logo. The decision by Council to push ahead with this project, despite the obvious dissatisfaction of many in the community demonstrates a total disregard for appropriate community engagement leaving many in the community outraged.

In addition to the need for more transparency and consultation, the other major focus points for this election will be unsustainable and inequitable rate increases, water security, sustainable growth, tourism and the continued push for power in the Daintree.

Already a large field of candidates have put their hands up to represent ratepayers for the next four years.

Local government general elections are held every four years, and on the same date for all 77 Councils across Queensland. The Queensland Government has been delivering a rolling reform agenda that apply to the system of local government and elections in Queensland.

New reforms implemented since the October 2017 elections strengthen the transparency, accountability and integrity measures that apply to the system of local government in Queensland. Changes that all candidates for the 2020 elections need to be ready for, including existing mayors and Councillors. We will be watching!

Click to read the pdf or download here