Hello, My name is Cherie Porter and I am a Candidate for Mayor of Moreton Bay Regional Council in the upcoming election on 28th March 2020. I was born in the Redcliffe Hospital and raised on Bribie Island. My family has been in the region since around the completion of the Bribie Island Bridge and I have lived and worked in many different parts of this region but now I call Redcliffe home due to the abundance of future school options for my son.
So why have I decided to put my hand up for Mayor well it all snowballed from a facebook page I started called Moreton Bay Area - Rants, Raves & Traffic which was meant to be a platform for those who were not able to share their dislike about Development Applications in the area, namely the Sandstone Point Hotel but it grew from there. It did not take long before it attracted the dirty side of politics between candidates and community. I won't bore you with those details but it is definitely worth a look BEFORE election day. https://www.facebook.com/groups/343724216240821/
I was raised to help others if in need without expectation of payment so that is what I have done with my life, not chasing a career or the big bucks but helping people I meet in anyway they need at the time. I have helped with boosting sales and implementing business policies, preparing and explaining the processes for a Tribunal or Appeals Hearing just to name a few. Now it is time for me to take it a step further and join council because I want to close the gap between the people and the politicians because so many people in this region feel unheard by their local council including myself.
I have no fancy logos, signs or slogans because those things aren’t important to me. I am not a politician, a business person or have friends in high places, I am a woman who has lived here her entire life and would like to work together to make this region the best we know it can be.
For as long as I can remember it has always been my dream to run for council but instead of pursuing that dream early in life I decided to take the path of learning everything I could. I have spent most of my employment in Administration within a wide variety of industries such as Hospitality, Child Care, Distribution, Transport & Logistics, Human Services, Law Firms and all the way up to Local and State Government. I have even spent time making plastic bottles in a factory because you can learn something from every job and I believe it is important to have worked at the bottom of the ladder to understand everyone's perspective.
While it is considered that the Mayor is the leader of the local council they are not the sole decision maker and must work together as a team with the Councillors, the CEO, Staff and the Community to get the end result.
The Divisional Councillors and the Mayor are all considered leaders in this community. So what makes a good leader?
The 34th President of the United States, Dwight.D.Eisenhower once said, “The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.” Honesty and integrity are two important ingredients which make a good leader. How can you expect your followers to be honest when you lack these qualities yourself? Leaders succeed when they stick to their values and core beliefs and without ethics, this will not be possible. There has never been a place as special in my heart as Moreton Bay Region. I want to bring respect back to our Local Council by empowering the staff and closing the gap between the ratepayers and the council.
There has never been a better time for change than 2020!