Elvis has left the buildings.

A handful of Queensland’s leading long serving regional Mayors are making way for a new brand of leadership at the grass roots level.

Sunshine Coast Mayor and long-term President of the Local Government Association of Queensland, Mark Jamieson was one of the  first to hang up his boots – to be followed out the door by influential Noel Playford and Bob Abbot.  In Mt Isa reference after the Tville names -Tony McGrady and Ron McCulloch .

Now now just-retired Cairns Mayor Bob Manning and recently former Toowoomba Mayor Paul Antonio won’t go around again. Cr Paul McVeigh, Mayor of the Western Downs, has also announced his departure next March.

Manning and Antonio have very recently retired prior to next year’s March elections.  All of those named above were prominent leading citizens in their communities prior to election , driving home the benefits of the strong mayor model which has been a part of the Queensland Local Government landscape since 1936.

The University of Queensland’s late Doug Tucker, the state’s foremost authority on Queensland Councils has written on the “ strong mayor model” which as thrown up many outstanding civic leaders in almost 90 years of operation.

I would posit that our capital, regional cities and shires are much the better because of the outstanding men and women that have been elected Mayors of those communities. Time and again the voters get it right. It’s not a fool-proof system, but has served the state well for the best part of a century .

Tucker wrote a number of books looking at Brisbane Lord Mayors and the Mayors of Rockhampton. His central thesis is people of real substance and ability are prepared to put up their hand to run as Mayor under the strong Mayor model.

In Brisbane , you immediately think of Clem Jones, Sallyanne Atkinson, Jim Soorley and Campbell Newman. In Cairns, it’s the likes of Tom Pyne, Kevin Byrne and Bob Manning . In Townsville, Percy Tucker, Mike Reynolds, Tony Mooney , Les Tyrell and current dynamo Jenny Hill.

In Mackay, Sir Albert Abbot, Gordon White, Julie Boyd and the current outstanding Mayor, Greg Williamson.

In Rockhampton, the famous Rex Pilbeam and Margaret Strelow – Bundaberg  Nita Cunningham and the larger than life and the current incumbent the  very popular Jack Dempsey.

Gladstone has Col Brown and the evergreen Matt Burnett. Toowoomba, Nell Robinson, Clive Berghofer, Di Thorley and Paul Antonio.

On the Sunny Coast Mark Jamieson has transformed that community in almost 12 years at the helm. Finally, and not the least Gold Coast/Albert with  Bill Laver, Ron Clarke and the current powerhouse and long  term incumbent Mayor Tom Tate.

The same applies to the bush councils over generations. Icons such as Sir Paddy Behan, Sir Robert Sparkes, Neil Sullivan, Nigel Winks, Dougall Davidson, Peter Black, Bruce Scott, John Smith, David Brook , Jim Pennell, John Brent, Paul Bell, Peter Maguire, Rob Loughnan, Brendan and Jane Macnamara ( husband and wife) and Donna Stewart .

These long term leaders fundamentally changed their communities for the better, many at personal cost to themselves. Without these great country leaders their communities wouldn’t be what they are today.

Queenslanders like their civic leaders to be big characters, bold of vision, resourceful, yet kind and compassionate. Electors are very good at character assessment and look for success in Mayoral candidates previous endeavours.

Being known and liked or respected is a big head start. Again no system is fool-proof and occasionally the system throws up one-term mayors. Ultimately the system is self righting.

This Xmas raise a toast to the state legislators of 1936 who put in place a very successful system to attract and elect Mayors, which has well and truly stood the test of time.