OPINION: No honeymoon for new Mayor when they take office
THE next Mayor of Redland City will not inherit a honeymoon period.
Over the next 18 months, they will inherit a Council bruised by division, a community weary of political drama and a list of decisions too important to be put on hold until the next election.
The failed Jos Mitchell experiment has triggered another mayoral contest less than two years after Redlands last went to the polls.
But the upcoming Mayoral by-election cannot become only a referendum on the past.
The successful candidate will serve until 2028 and must show they are ready to lead a Council through some of its most consequential decisions in years.
The first challenge is to restore trust.
Redlands residents have watched public disputes, complaints, investigations and acrimony become too familiar a feature of local government.
The new mayor must set a different tone from day one.
Clear communication, professional conduct, respect for ALL councillors and staff, and a commitment to transparency even when the answer is uncomfortable.
The mayor cannot compel friendship around the Council table, but they can insist on standards.
Redlands does not need another personality contest.
It needs a functioning governing body.
The second test is financial.
Households are already under pressure, and ratepayers will rightly scrutinise every future rate rise.
Council faces the rising cost of insurance, construction, maintenance, waste, disaster recovery and ageing infrastructure.
Yet residents still expect reliable roads, parks, rubbish collection, drainage, libraries, sporting facilities and island services.
That is the central local-government equation.
How to protect essential services without treating residents as an endless revenue source.
The next mayor must be honest about what Council can afford, where efficiencies can be found and which projects must wait.
Promising lower rates, better services and every major project at once is not leadership unless the numbers stack up.
Then comes growth.
Southern Thornlands, City Plan changes and the wider South East Queensland planning debate will define much of Redlands’ future.
The prospect of thousands of new homes brings opportunity but also understandable concern about congestion, schools, public transport, water, sewerage, community facilities and the loss of neighbourhood character.
The principle, as highlighted by Cr Rowanne McKenzie, should be straightforward.
infrastructure before development, not as an afterthought once roads are already clogged and services are stretched.
The new mayor must be a strong advocate to Brisbane while giving residents a genuine voice in the shape and pace of growth.
Birkdale will be another defining challenge.
The Community Precinct and proposed Olympic whitewater venue carry the promise of jobs, sporting facilities and a Brisbane 2032 legacy.
They also carry questions about the potential ongoing cost to ratepayers.
It is a project capable of becoming either a landmark achievement or a long-running symbol of disconnect.
The next mayor must demand clear facts, transparent costs, and communicate a realistic explanation of what Redlands gains—and what it risks—through the project.
Finally, there is the daily reality of getting around.
From congestion on major roads to the long-promised Eastern Metro connection, from Weinam Creek parking to ferry-terminal uncertainty and island access, transport is not an abstract policy issue for local families.
It is time spent in traffic, missed appointments, difficult commutes and uncertainty for businesses.
Council cannot solve these problems alone.
But a mayor must be Redlands’ most effective advocate to State and Federal governments, not merely another voice in the queue.
The city needs a leader who can build alliances, pursue funding and keep pressure on decisionmakers long after the campaign signs are gone.
That is the real contest now.
The next mayor should not be judged on the loudest slogan or the most impressive list of promises.
They should be judged on whether they can bring stability to Council, make hard financial choices, defend Redlands’ character, listen to its communities and deliver outcomes.
