Randall confirms tilt for councillor
JOHN Randall said he's now "used to people's disappointment" when he tells them he will be standing as councillor and not as mayor in the April Southern Downs Regional Council election.
At a Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event, Mr Randall announced he would not take a tilt for the top job, ending months of speculation.
He spoke to the Daily News yesterday afternoon, just before heading to Dalveen in his campaign car - a black Mahindra - which he's nicknamed "the Brute".
"Eighteen months ago when I first decided to run it was always as a councillor," Mr Randall said.
"It was only in the last couple of months a lot of my key supporters in the Warwick area were encouraging me to stand and I thought about it long and hard.
"It was a compliment they paid me but at the end of the day I always wanted to go into council with a reform agenda."
Mr Randall said, given his 20 years of experience working within local government, he felt the next mayor would have to be the "ultimate diplomat" who would spend most of their time keeping the peace.
"I don't want to go in spending time and effort doing that. I want to make a proper difference," he said.
"I'm used to people's disappointment since I've started telling them I will only run for councillor."
While Mr Randall said he was looking forward to supporting the future mayor, he did not endorse any of the candidates who had currently aired their plans in public.
He hinted there may be another Warwick-based person who would be sticking up their hand in coming weeks.
