Twelve months ago Danielle Slade was elected Mount Isa mayor just as a pandemic was breaking out and her introduction to Council was like "being thrown in the deep end without a life raft."
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Cr Slade had a surprise victory in the 2020 Local Government election held on March 28, 2020, 150 votes ahead of incumbent mayor Joyce McCulloch.
Cr Slade took office just as Australia went into a nation-wide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and recalls being sworn in with no friends or family present.
"I couldn't have any family present except for my husband. So that was the beginning of a really rocky time in regards to the unknown for Mount Isa and the globe," Cr Slade said.
"I came into Council without any background knowledge of it. I was not a prior councillor so went straight to mayor and I was definitely thrown into the deep end without a life raft; and being in lockdown it was more difficult to get access to information and people.
"I did a lot of reading and because I hadn't come from that councillor background I was always questioning why we were doing things and the reasons behind them. So I think that was something good that I brought to the table."
Cr Slade was the face of the COVID-19 response in Mount Isa while also trying to finalise a budget.
"One of the other things we did well as a Council was we didn't increase the rates for the 2020-2021 financial year. We certainly didn't want to burden the residents and businesses in such a dramatic year, so that was a highlight knowing that we were doing what we could not to impact the residents," she said.
"Through lockdown, we decided that even though we would be closing the town pool, library and other facilities, our whole mission was to rearrange things so that we weren't losing jobs. We didn't put off anyone during COVID-19 and we let natural attrition happen because we didn't know what the future was going to hold and how long our local services were going to be down. So I think that was managed very well.
"The Council continued on and were the unsung heroes in some respect, continuing to operate and making sure that residents still had water and garbage collection and those things we have come to expect."
Cr Slade said she was happy with Council's response to the pandemic, but may have made a few changes if she had a crystal ball.
"We were all in uncharted waters and in hindsight we may have done things differently but I am happy with the response.
"The problem was making decisions not knowing how long this would go on for and at the beginning we were informed it could go on for up to five years, so that was a frightening prospect. I think we did our best with the information that we had."
Looking ahead for the next 12 months, Cr Slade is proud of the number of projects that are in the pipeline.
"All scheduled works assigned for 2020 were put on hold but are now forging ahead in 2021, including the Pump Park at Gallipoli Park, the motorsport complex, upgrading the family fun park and roll out of the smart water meters," Cr Slade said.
"When we first came into Council was take everything out of the budget that wasn't funded, which was a smart idea as we didn't know the position we were going to be in 12 months time. So all the projects that are coming to fruition will all be funded.
"With funding we also have a time frame of which it needs to be complete and while that will make Council very busy it means the community will get these upgrades sooner rather then later."
Cr Slade said she looks forward to her next three years as mayor and serving to Mount Isa community.
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Samantha Campbell
Samantha Campbell (nee Walton) has worked for regional and rural publications across New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. She is currently writing for the North Queensland Register based in North West Queensland. Email: samantha.campbell@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Samantha Campbell (nee Walton) has worked for regional and rural publications across New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. She is currently writing for the North Queensland Register based in North West Queensland. Email: samantha.campbell@austcommunitymedia.com.au
