Cairns Mayor stands for re-election on her record
Tarina White
Positioning herself as the underdog in the four-way race because she inherited the fallout from the global economic crisis, Cr Schier, who is standing as an independent, is asking voters to consider her list of achievements for the city. "I have fought hard in this divided council to deliver on my platform from four years ago and the fruits of my work can be seen all over the region," Cr Schier said. "I stand for re-election with the experience of having delivered new infrastructure, a new vision and new leadership to this region – leadership that focuses on collaboration and building partnerships with the community, businesses and the other levels of government."
She highlighted her efforts to enhance tourism by listing events that did not exist before she took the helm four years ago, including Challenge Cairns, the Adventure Festival, the Davis Cup, the Ukelele festival, the Blues festival and the Cairns Indigenous Arts Fair.
One of her proudest achievements has been to secure funding for the $155 million Cairns Entertainment Precinct. "I am the only mayor who has been able to deliver a fully-funded replacement for our Civic Theatre … on the best site in Cairns," she said.
Cr Schier is running against her deputy Margaret Cochrane, businessman Ian Thomas and former Cairns Port Authority chief executive Bob Manning.
Campaigning under the slogan "Building a Better Cairns", Cr Schier said job creation was at the top of her list of strategies for the city in the next four years, with an emphasis on continuing to lure mining jobs to Cairns. "I’ve been lobbying mining companies to base themselves here, recruit and train their workers and house their workers here, too" she said. "Two mining companies have set up offices in Cairns during this term and that’s just the beginning."
If re-elected, Cr Schier said she would continue to strengthen the community by investing in facilities and services, pointing to the City Centre Masterplan that outlines a vision for the next 30 years. "I hope to achieve a second term and four more years at the helm to keep on fighting for Cairns," she said.
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I like Cr Schier.
ReplyDeleteI am a little worried about the push for mining though as stated by Val in the above article. "I’ve been lobbying mining companies to base themselves here, recruit and train their workers and house their workers here, too" she said. "Two mining companies have set up offices in Cairns during this term and that’s just the beginning."
My partner and I lived in Perth for nearly a year before returning to Cairns, and found the cost of living there astronomical, and everyone said, it was due to the mining and costs and prices just kept going up.
That concerns me, as I feel some people in Cairns will not be able to cope if this were to happen.
I am interested to know which two mining companies have set up offices in Cairns during Val Schier's term.
ReplyDeleteWe have had a certain number of fly in fly out workers here, Anonymous, for some years. However I share your concerns about attracting too large a number, rents and real estate will sky rocket, food, holiday accommodation etc as greed sets in across the local economy with everyone out to fleece the nouveau riche mining workers as much as they can.
ReplyDeleteDon't know if it is good strategy to campaign as "the under dog" or not. Id like to see Val get re-elected though for one more term.
ReplyDelete