Council back-tracks on election fines
THE Gold Coast City Council has back-tracked on plans to exonerate 50,000 residents who failed to vote in the March 15 elections. more
Mayoral agenda turns to water
WATER compensation is expected to dominate talks at the Council of Mayors workshop today in Toowoomba and Mayor Ron Clarke is gearing up for a long battle. more
Call for peace in transit conflict
THE proposed $600 million Gold Coast rapid Transit System could be buried next week unless senior council bureaucrats can change Mayor Ron Clarke's mind. more
Showdown for mayor and minister
MAYOR Ron Clarke is preparing for a showdown with Transport Minister John Mickel next week after it emerged the council could ditch a $100 million funding promise for the Gold Coast Rapid Transit System. more
First item of business? Pay rise please
MAYOR Ron Clarke and his band of councillors have rewarded their election wins with a pay rise. more
Population freeze top of agenda
COUNCILLORS have handed Mayor Ron Clarke a mandate to cut back development and keep people out of the Gold Coast. more
Secrecy as mayor made budget boss
TODAY may be the official swearing in of the new Gold Coast City Council but deals are already being made behind the scenes. more
Mayor fed up with health rumours
MAYOR Ron Clarke last night angrily hit back at accusations his health is deteriorating and that he will not be able to serve his full term of office. more
There was a chair up there, but no Gold Coast mayor
NEWLY elected Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke ditched a 'historic' summit of Queensland mayors in Brisbane yesterday to go to the Magic Millions. more
Clarke makes mayor again
RON Clarke has won his second term as Gold Coast Mayor -- and failed mayoral contenders Rob Molhoek and Tom Tate are already preparing to wage a behind-the-scenes war. more
Mayoral tilt end in sight
THE postal votes are in and our new mayor is ... well, still unnamed. more
Libs elect to fight commission
THE Liberal Party has threatened to pursue a legal challenge over the council election after a stoush with the Queensland Electoral Commission. more
Clarke edges further ahead of his rivals
LAST night, just over half of the 20,000 postal votes had been counted with Ron Clarke still in front with 35.46 per cent of the vote to Tom Tate's 26.74 and Rob Molhoek's 25.97. more
Libs hopes for recount, but Ron still leads
LIBERAL Party chances of winning the mayoralty are fading fast as the party clings to the hope of an unlikely 25 per cent preference flow. more
Get on with it!
AUSTRALIANS have fought and died for democracy, but such concepts must seem alien to the modern-day public servant. more
Clarke's Easter edge
LIBERAL mayoral candidate Tom Tate's hopes of beating incumbent Ron Clarke lie within 15,000 envelopes. more
Poor turnout and poll stuff-up claims rejected
THE Electoral Commission of Queensland (ECQ) has rejected claims one-third of voters snubbed Saturday's historic local government elections and that polls were flawed. more
Land hikes thaw Ron's rate freeze idea
SURFERS Paradise and Mermaid Beach have average land values of close to $1 million, the highest in Queensland, while Tugun has experienced the largest land value jump in percentage terms during the past 12 months. more
It isn't easy being green but Pete has the power
THE city council's 'green sheriff', Peter Young, is in an unfamiliar position. more
Bradford tips council sacking
UNSUCCESSFUL mayoral candidate John Bradford last night tipped the new council would be sacked by the State Government within four years. more
Councillors' workshop must wait
THE annual councillors' workshop has been delayed by a week because the mayoral race is so tight. more
Stop whingeing, Ted tells doubtful developers
DEVELOPERS are adopting a 'wait and see' attitude before pressing ahead with new development applications to the newly elected and greener city council. more
Council all shook up
SENIOR committee council positions are up for grabs as the Chip takes control from the Bloc. more
Marathon man's sprint in green
PETER GLEESON: Ron Clarke's two favourite colours must surely be grey and green. more
Grummitt back in her old seat
AN 'excited and wiser' Margaret Grummitt is back on the Gold Coast City Council, this time more than aware of what she is in for. more
John Wayne poised to ride in to city hall
JOHN Wayne looks certain to be the only 'brand new' face on the city council after winning the primary vote for Division 2. more
Hope fades for Pforr
IF Grant Pforr becomes the only sitting councillor to lose his seat in the 2008 election, he can blame the people of Hope Island. more
Hundreds tear up ballots in protest
LOCAL government stalwart Ray Hackwood watched in horror on election day as hundreds of Beenleigh locals tore up ballot papers in an angry protest at the contentious State Government boundary changes. more
Gold Coasters come out to play on polling day
VOTING was not the only attraction at polling booths up and down the Coast on Saturday -- many of the 230,000 voters at the council elections stocked up on plenty of the prawns and hot-cross buns up for sale, as well as arts and craft pieces and pot plants. more
A waiting game takes toll
GRANT Pforr spent his first day back at work sleeping. more
Graham Staerk,a former campaign manager, political adviser and public relations guru to both former Brisbane lord mayor Jim Soorley and Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke, has decided to sit out the 2008 contest. Here are his views on this year's election battle.
- Tate's million dollar bash
- Time to think team politics
- Lord Jim needed to fix Coast
- It's time to grow up, Gold Coast
- Building on city's strengths
- Mandate for more power
- 'Undecideds' may decide it
- Some fireworks ... please!
- Down to the wire and too close to call
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