Tom Tate

Mayor
Tom Tate
13th Mayor of the Gold Coast
In office
28 April 2012 – Present
Deputy Donna Gates
Preceded by Ron Clarke
Personal details
Born (1959-01-15) 15 January 1959
Vientiane, Laos
Nationality Australian
Political party Independent
Other political
affiliations		 Liberal Party of Australia
Spouse(s) Ruth Tate
Alma mater University of NSW
Website mayortomtate.com.au

Tom Tate is an Australian politician and the current Mayor of the City of Gold Coast, first elected on 28 April 2012 and re-elected on 19 March 2016 with 73% of the two-candidate vote.[1][2]

As Mayor, he is charged with representing the City and is directly elected by residents. Presiding over all council meetings; he is the only councillor to not represent a specific Gold Coast Council Division;[3] and is the foremost representative of the City of Gold Coast and its policies.

The City maintains a budget of $1.2 billion annually[4][5] (the second highest of municipal governments in Australia),[4] and is the second largest local government area in Australia, maintaining a staff of over 3,500.

The mayor's office is primarily located in the Southport Town Hall building in Southport, Queensland.[6]

Tate was elected after former Mayor, Cr. Ron Clarke, resigned on 27 February 2012, after announcing his nomination as an independent candidate for the seat of Broadwater in the 2012 Queensland state election, with Mr Clarke achieving a primary vote of only around 4%.[7][8]

Personal life

Tate was born in Vientiane, the capital Laos[9] in 1959. He speaks three languages: English, Thai and Laotian.[10]

He attended school at Scots College in Sydney where he was a drummer in the school's pipe band.[10]

A civil engineer by trade, Tate graduated from the University of NSW in the early 1980s.[6] He started his career in the construction industry and later moved into the tourism and hospitality industry.[6]

Tom has been married to his wife, Ruth, for 36 years and together they have four children.[6]

Business career

Cr Tate worked across the world before joining his father, Warwick Tate's development company at the age of 35.[9]

In 1992, Tate Sr bought the Islander Resort Hotel in Surfers Paradise,[9] where Tate performed a refit of the building.

In 1993, he took over management of the Islander and turned it into one of the city’s most successful resorts. Notably, during the late 1990s Asian economic downturn, he offered hotel rooms for $1.[11]

Warwick Tate, who was also a civil engineer by profession, died on 19 January 2015 after a long illness. His funeral service was held at the Scots College Chapel.[9]

Political background

An independent,[12] Tate had two tilts at the mayoralty before his success in 2012, including as an endorsed Liberal candidate in 2008.[13]

His re-election saw a massive increase in his primary vote from 37% in 2012 to 64% in 2016.[14] He is noted for refusing to accept political donations, self-funding his campaigns.[15]

In June 2015, he sold the Islander Hotel Resort in Surfers Paradise to Brisbane nightclub identity Louis Bickle, to avoid suggestions he has a conflict of interest.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Electoral Commission Queensland – 2012 Gold Coast City Mayoral Elections". Retrieved 15 June 2012.
  2. ↑ "2016 Gold Coast City Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
  3. ↑ "Local Government Act 2009 (Qld)" (PDF).
  4. 1 2 "The Gold Coast's most influential people". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  5. ↑ "City Budget". www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Mayor Tom Tate". City of Gold Coast. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
  7. ↑ Kelly, james (27 February 2012). "Clarke says Gold Coast needs independent MP". ABC News. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  8. ↑ Weston, Paul (24 March 2012). "Clarke bows out with no regrets". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Mayor Tom Tate loses his father Warwick who had long battled with illness". GoldCoastBulletin. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  10. 1 2 Houghton, Des (30 June 2012). "Fascinating man breathes life into Coast". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  11. 1 2 "Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate sells Surfers Paradise Islander Hotel Resort for $26.5 million". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  12. ↑ "Gold Coast mayoral race gets nasty". News.com.au. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  13. ↑ "Stateline Queensland". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
  14. ↑ "2016 Gold Coast City Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". www.results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  15. ↑ "The Courier Mail". Retrieved 11 November 2015.
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