Mayor Val Schier was elected with just a 2 per cent majority in the recent council election. And now she's managing a newly amalgamated council with mostly independents. DENISE CARTER looks at the expectations of the new mayor and at the challenges ahead

ince Val Schier was sworn into office on April 3, she says she’s been overwhelmed by support and is just about on top of reading all her congratulatory letters and emails.

But with just a 2 per cent margin bringing Val into power, or about 1400 votes, it’s clear the Cairns region was a community divided at election time, and that it will be difficult for her to please all its factions in her coming term.

Head of political science at James Cook University Doug Hunt says in the election there were those for whom environmental concerns were a significant factor and others whose interests were pro-development.

"I think (the Cairns area) is probably special in the sense that for decades there has been a strong environmental consciousness," Doug says.

"It’s not only people who identify themselves as greenies, but there are elements in the business community who see the economic value (of caring for the environment)," he says.

There were Northern Beaches residents afraid Cairns was on the way to becoming another Gold Coast, and Port Douglas residents who, former mayor Kevin Byrne says, believed he had "a bulldozer waiting at the gates".

And there were concerns about current developments that didn’t seem to abide by their planning regulations.

Far North Greens' Denis Walls says he doesn’t have specific expectations things will change overnight after Val’s election to mayor, but he is happy someone "who cares deeply about the environment" is now a pivotal figure.

He also believes Val can win enough support for her policies because of her common sense approach and collaborative skills.

But while Val’s supporters have celebrated her win, the business community has greeted it with some degree of caution.

One Cairns hotelier’s initial reaction was to exclaim, "oh no", mainly because of his uncertainty as to whether Val was strong enough to drive through initiatives like her predecessor.

Cairns Chamber of Commerce president and director of the 20/20 group Jeremy Blockey said initially there was concern in the business community because it was felt there was some inexperience in the council team.

But now he says it’s become a case of "business as usual", particularly after Advance Cairns’ funding, which was in doubt due to Val’s pre-election comments, was allocated.

"It’s just a slightly different approach," Jeremy says of Val. "Kevin was more of an ideas person, whereas Val is more consultative."

As far as Val is concerned, environment and business, including development, are compatible.

"Environmentalists are not anti-development" but rather against "development at any cost", Val says.

"If we don’t use our resources wisely, we damage our tourism industry and our lifestyle."

The three items that top Val’s agenda are the ones people will be watching closely for results because she was so vocal about them prior to the election.

Decisions on them, however, will be made by the full council.

"I am only one vote," Val says.

False Cape hit the headlines when the Reef Cove Resort was abandoned following financial difficulties with the resort’s financier MFS, and there was public concern about possible sediment run-off into the reef.

Before the election Val criticised the Byrne council for not taking action immediately the site was abandoned.

"From the pull out of CEC, council officers ought to have been directed to move immediately and take action with the $650,000 bond council is holding and prevent damage to our precious marine environment," Val said on March 5.

But it’s far from a simple situation, with finance company MFS believed to hold the mortgage on the resort.

What’s to become of the Reef Cove site on False Cape is an item on the agenda for the council meeting on April 24.

Then there’s the issue of the Portsmith landfill.

"An analysis of a sample taken in a drain that flows directly from the Portsmith landfill reveals shockingly unacceptable levels of heavy metals are flowing into the Trinity Inlet," Val said on March 13.

The EPA upon inspection found what they termed a small amount of leakage that was corrected by council during the course of a day.

However, the EPA also said it was an old landfill created without today’s environmental standards and that it requires ongoing management and monitoring.

Val says she’s planning to visit both sites next week regarding pre-election concerns and she would like to see the problem sorted out "sooner rather than later".

And Villa Romana came under scrutiny from the Cairns 1st team for encroaching onto a public pathway.

Val brought her own "demolition" crew to the site to make her point on March 8.

"If this person can get away with taking over public land then it’s just open slather and a lot of people are worried about that," Val said.

One of the main criticisms of the new team has been the setting of salaries for councillors, a subject which brought letters and SMSs to The Cairns Post. The amounts decided (ranging from $88,590 plus loading for councillors to $139,220 plus loading for the mayor) are above that of Townsville councillors, despite over half of the Cairns contingent being completely new to their roles.

Val is adamant her councillors deserve their pay packets.

"Just because there are newcomers doesn’t mean that people will work any less hard," she says.

"It is really around the fact that the council is working full-time; that there are enormous demands on their time, weekends, night work, and because we have a policy of listening to the locals a lot more," she says.

"It’s a seven day a week job, so that’s one thing.

"The other thing is that the new amalgamated council is going to be much bigger and more work – it’s a $230 million business."

Val also pointed out that the number of councillors is less now the councils have amalgamated and that she is on an equivalent salary to that of former mayor Kevin Byrne.

Despite the difficulties presented, Val is very excited about the possibilities of her new role, a role she wanted so much because she thought she could do a better job.

She plans to take council meetings out of the city chambers to Mossman and Babinda and she wants to have open meetings where people can bring deputations and make presentations "in 15-minute time slots".

Val’s first week saw her answer many invitations to visit groups anxious to meet their new mayor.

Her first day meant four events, including an afternoon tea with her god-daughter at Gordonvale High School and an evening with the jazz club (of which she is a patron) at their first gig at The Tiger’s Den in North Cairns Football Club.

"I think it’s really important at this stage that I respond to as many groups as possible because part of what I said I would do is be approachable," Val says.

Then there’s the extra commitments like keeping in touch with supporters through her Cairns 1st blog and she has a regular spots on Port Douglas radio and Sea FM.

One thing Val says she has to get used to in her new role is being scrutinised at all times even when off-duty and in her Machan’s Beach home.

"The other day someone’s daughter went passed my house and said, ‘mum, she’s still sitting up there in a sarong just readng the newspaper’."

Val laughs: "I think I was supposed to change into a higher being."

VAL ON:

Council staff loyalty: "The people who work here are professional public servants and their political leaders might change but they will continue to deliver services in a professional way."

Balance of power in the new amalgamated council:

"I think what we need to be involved in is good planning and I think that my councillors are all reasonable and capable people and that we will make the right decisions."

Advance Cairns and TTNQ’s PlanetSafe Program: "It’s a step in creating tropical north Queensland as a green destination and in trying to get a competitive edge."

Plans for the tourism industry:

"The establishment of a tourism levy. It’s about the tourism industry deciding who will pay the levy, how much they will pay, and how they will use that money raised to be able to (have) destination marketing but also sustainable management. It comes from businesses. A tourism levy could raise $2 million a year that will all go back to the industry."

Arts precinct:

"Our policy is to proceed with developing an arts precinct but not on the site as identified by the previous council. We think probably the current civic theatre site linked with Munro Martin Park. It could ultimately include a museum, and a couple of theatres. We want to make the arts precinct the heart of the city."

False Cape:

(Mar 6) "From the pull out of CEC, council officers ought to have been directed to move immediately and take action with the $650,000 bond council is holding and prevent damage to our precious marine environment."

(Apr 16) "A decision will be made on the 24th."

Villa Romana:

(Mar 8) "If this person can get away with taking over public land then it’s just open slather and a lot of people are worried about that".

(Mar 24) "We were only saying we would make a move on doing something about making a decision."

(Apr 16) "The main point is that Villa Romana is trespassing on public land and a decision must be made about it." (Villa Romana is on the agenda for the council meeting on April 24.)

Portsmith Landfill:

(Mar 13) "An analysis of a sample taken in a drain that flows directly from the Portsmith landfill reveals shockingly unacceptable levels of heavy metals".

(Apr 16) "A decision must be made sooner rather than later." (It is on the agenda for April 24.)

Affiliations with Labor

"I am a Labor Party member. But there is no room for party politics in local government. We are a council of independents."

Another term as mayor

"I will put my heart and soul into the next four years and then I’ll see what happens from there. If I’ve got the energy and the support of people, then I would certainly continue."

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