Division 7 candidates face voters at forum

Candidates in the upcoming Moreton Bay Region Council by-election will have the opportunity to address the community with a live-streamed forum on December 1.

Hosted by Moreton Daily News South editor Jodie Powell, the forum will give candidates the chance to outline why they should be elected and answer questions submitted by ratepayers in Division 7.

At last week’s Moreton Bay Regional Council meeting, Council chief executive officer Greg Chemello said he believed there would be merit in hosting a candidate session, and has accepted the offer from new community newspaper Moreton Daily News to host and moderate.

“It’s important to give the residents of Division 7 the chance to listen to the folks who want to be their councillor,” Mr Chemello says.

Moreton Bay Region Industry and Tourism (MBRIT) Chairman Shane Newcombe, publisher of Moreton Daily News, says the forum is an important opportunity for residents to put questions to candidates to help them decide who will earn their vote.

“Democracy is a two-way street and this will give ratepayers another way of engaging with prospective councillors,” Mr Newcombe says.

“This by-election is a first for Moreton Bay and it’s great to see so much interest from people wanting to represent Division 7.”

The by-election is the result of the resignation of Division 7 Councillor and Deputy Mayor Denise Sims on October 20.

Ms Sims made the announcement on social media the previous night in an emotional video statement citing personal health reasons for her decision.

Who's standing?

Candidates in ballot order:

1. Yvonne Barlow

2. Dean Teasdale

3. Ryan Bakker

4. Brett Hayes

5. Jacqui Findlay

6. Ben Wood

Mayor Peter Flannery says he trusts voters to make the right decision.

“There are a range of candidates which is great, because that means locals get to make a real choice based on the fresh ideas candidates put forward,” he says.

“The cohesion we’ve achieved as a Council has been critical to our region’s success through the pandemic, so we need a team player who has the interests of Moreton Bay at heart.

“But that decision rests with the residents of Dakabin, Murrumba Downs, Kallangur and Griffin – and I trust them to get this one right.

“So, I hope to see North Leagues Club packed with people who want to hear from all their potential representatives.

“What I’ll be telling the successful candidate is that politics isn’t about any individual or their ego, it’s about hard work and service to the community.”

“This moment in time is an important crossroads for Moreton Bay, as we put the pandemic behind us, aspire to give the world the greatest Olympic Games they’ve ever seen and ramp-up our investments into green initiatives and lifestyle infrastructure.”

Polling day for the by-election will be on Saturday, December 4, with applications for postal voting closing at 7pm on Monday, November 22.

Early voting runs for two weeks from November 22 until Friday, December 3.

At the forum, candidates will give a brief outline of why they want to represent Division 7, before being asked to answer questions submitted prior to the event.

The forum is on Wednesday, December 1 from 6-8pm at the Norths Leagues and Services Club, Kallangur, and will be live-streamed at moretondaily.com.au as well as on a Facebook event hosted on the Moreton Daily News Facebook page.

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