October 21, 2015
It’s been a guessing game for a while … will he or won’t he? But South Burnett Division 3 councillor Damien Tessmann made it official on Wednesday: he is running for the position of Mayor at the next council election.
The Coolabunia dairy farmer was elected to the South Burnett Regional Council at the 2008 local government elections, the first post-amalgamation.
He made the announcement via a YouTube video (see below).
Cr Tessmann told southburnett.com.au he had adopted the slogan “experienced enough to know, young enough to do”.
He said he wanted to be able to say that he had doorknocked over 6000 people before the Council election, due in March, and for this reason had prepared a caravan as a “mobile office”.
“I want to talk to people on the side of the road, at markets, in their homes. I want to bring myself to people, not expect people to come to me,” he said.
Cr Tessmann said he had five key priorities for the next four years: roads, rates, economic development, natural resource management and “building a 21st century council”.
He said he believed he had the experience for the mayoral role after eight years in local government.
“And I have always been active in community organisations across the region,” he said.
“I guess with the retirement of Kratzie, I saw the opportunity of implementing some of the things that I have had people talk to me about … like Memerambi, Taabinga Downs and the borrowing that I opposed.
“I am in the prime of my life at almost 30. I can jump in with all the energy that a man in the prime of his life has.”
Cr Tessmann said maintaining property values was a priority, which was why he had opposed the Taabinga Downs development.
He said Council had a role in attracting job-creating industries to the area.
Mentioning the failed Memerambi Estate, Cr Tessmann said he was still concerned that ratepayers could end up picking up the bill. He said he believed $600,000 was at risk if the benefitted area payments were not made on the vacant blocks.
“At the end of the day, if they stop paying the rates, maybe council will end up owning the blocks through rate arrears. We could then demolish them, amalgamate them into one block and sell it off,” he said.
Cr Tessmann said he had talked about the Memerambi Estate with banks, real estate agents and property valuers and “there’s a lot of concern there”.
He said he had been urged to run for Mayor by supporters.
“I wouldn’t be running if I didn’t genuinely think there was support,” he said.
Cr Tessmann will have to vacate his Division 3 seat to run for Mayor, which means it is an “all or nothing” bid for him.
He is currently Wide Bay Regional chairman of the LNP, something which he does not shy away from.
“I have been a member of the LNP, or rather the National Party, since I was 16. I joined the party because I wanted to effect change, and being an Independent means you cannot affect anything,” he said.
“However, the LNP doesn’t really get involved in local government. We don’t talk about it, there is no strategy.”
Cr Tessmann is the third candidate to announce their intention to run for Mayor. Other confirmed candidates are current Deputy Mayor Keith Campbell and Glendon Street Medical Centre owner Michael Brown.
