Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council Mayor Tim Overall will not be running in the December elections. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
After 17 years in council and 13 as Mayor, Tim Overall has announced he will not be running in the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council elections in December.
“It’s time to move on, and I’ve really been pleased to be part of the team that’s helped lay the foundation for the progression into the next 10 years,” said Mr Overall.
Mr Overall said he leaves Council with confidence that he has fulfilled many of his promises. He’s particularly proud of the transformation of the Queanbeyan CBD, the extension of Ellerton Drive and upgrades to local sports facilities and fields.
He said his third term as mayor, which has been over five years long, wasn’t in his original plans, but was inspired by his desire for a fruitful merger of the Queanbeyan and Palerang council’s in 2016.
With the seat of Monaro left open by the departure of former Deputy Premier John Barilaro, Mr Overall emerges as a qualified candidate to replace him. However, he was pretty quick to shut down any suggestion he was looking to move forward with a political career.
“Not at this time. I’ve been approached in the past to consider Federal and State, been tapped on the shoulder, but my focus has always been local and will continue to be,” the outgoing Mayor said.
Mr Overall wanted to stress that this was far from his last service to the community and that he was eager to get involved with some local organisations, particularly in Queanbeyan, Braidwood and Bungendore.
For Queanbeyan-Palerang, it means they will have a new Mayor in December for the first time since 2008.
Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council CEO Peter Tegart paid tribute to the outgoing mayor, in particular for his guidance through the council merger, and for being a driving force on cross-border issues.
“Cr Overall has been a stalwart of local government and community, guiding Council through a period of great change as the Queanbeyan City and Palerang Councils were merged,” Mr Tegart said.
“Tim has shown great leadership since his election as mayor of the former Queanbeyan City Council in 2008, through the period when he was appointed as the administrator of the newly formed QPRC and then bringing the merged communities together as QPRC’s first elected mayor.”
Mr Tegart said Mr Overall has been an advocate for the region, working hard to serve the whole community from Queanbeyan to Braidwood to Bungendore to the areas rural villages and towns.
“He was a keen advocator on the Canberra Region Joint Organisation and Regional Cities NSW, and regularly met with the ACT Chief Minister and Deputy Premier to resolve cross border and regional issues. He will be sorely missed by our community and the local government sector in NSW, and particularly to the staff of QPRC.”
Original Article published by Max O’Driscoll on The RiotACT.
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