Schwarto backs Carter for mayor

Robert Schwarten's letter to the editor

As Member for Rockhampton I had the opportunity to work with five mayors and none of Brad Carter's predecessors had anywhere near the workload he has as the current mayor.

Previously there were teams - Labor and CIG - that brought a degree of management discipline, but in Brad's case he has proved that with goodwill towards others around the table and to other levels of elected government much can be achieved.

For example, Rockhampton region now boasts some of the best economic infrastructure of anywhere in Australia as a result.

A state-of-the-art swimming pool, one of the best in Australia, is just one example of Brad's ability to get things done at the least possible cost to ratepayers.

This $17 million project cost ratepayers just $5 million whereas in the past the full cost of the previous pool was entirely borne by ratepayers.

Brad has made mistakes and I am refreshed to hear that he can own up to his errors, unlike others who privatised the council's cash assets with disastrous consequences for the council's finances. The only people who do not make mistakes are those who never try to do anything.

Unlike every other contender for the mayoral race, Brad is the only one who has experience at dealing with the super-sized council we now have. He showed courage in taking on the challenge.

He has the benefit of learning from mistakes, none of the others have that advantage. History shows that Rocky people know that a one-term mayor should not be judged on the mistakes he or she made in the first term, rather they should be given a fair go to learn from them and put the experience to good use.

Brad knows where the problems are and he can fix them. He has dealt with the hardship of bringing the four administrations together and has been able to get progress on hot issues like infrastructure and inherited issues like the new dump site, while dealing with totally destructive behaviour from a minority of councillors.

I did not vote for Brad Carter at the last election because I felt he lacked the experience as a councillor or mayor, but he now has that experience.

I have no hesitation in supporting Brad Carter this time round. I am retired from the political arena and do not claim to represent anyone else's views other than my own.