Kate Kunzelmann earned her council stripes by being one of, if not the first person in the city to put her hand up for a spot on the new Ipswich City Council.
The Wulkuraka resident told family and friends in August 2019 that she wanted to make a difference on a reshaped, transparent and accountable council.
She became a regular face in the public gallery at council meetings held by then interim administrator Greg Chemello and numerous community events.
“I always wanted to be on council and relished the opportunity for a fresh start,” Cr Kunzelmann said this week.
“The idea that I could be part of something new and a council which could do it well for Ipswich certainly interested me.”
Cr Kunzelmann had previously stood for the Australian Democrats in the nearby federal seat of Oxley at the 1998 and 2001 federal elections, but lost out on each occasion to Labor veteran Bernie Ripoll.
She had been with the Democrats from the first meeting in Sydney “until the bitter end” in 2004.
“If I had not been elected to council I was going to write about the history of the Australian Democrats. No one has done that properly before,” she said.
That project is now on the back-burner as the Division 4 representative will be busy for the next four years. She was joined by Russell Milligan as the two elected representatives to council from that division.
“I campaigned long and hard for about eight months. I never had any doubts, I had a very positive mindset,” Cr Kunzelmann said.
Her persistence and strategy to run “street talks” regularly across the division paid dividends.
“I was always available for people on the side of the road. People would stop and talk to me and it certainly improved my knowledge of what was going on in Ipswich. It proved very effective.”
Cr Kunzelmann is a former nurse, nurse manager and education manager and has lived in Ipswich since 1981.
She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors with board experience. She has also been a Justice of the Peace for many years and a long-term member of Zonta and other community groups.
She was honoured to be elected deputy chair of the Local Disaster Management Group, assisting Mayor Teresa Harding, at the first official council meeting this week.
“I am looking forward to training in disaster management, and working with council on Covid-19 response,” she said.
“Post Covid-19, I would like to continue to consult with community groups, to make practical and informed decisions in the best interests of residents. This in turn will strengthen the operation of council.”
Cr Kunzelmann said her first policy statement was to ensure that the safeguards against corruption and poor management put in place by the interim administration continue for the new term of council.
“I was happy to support the transparency and integrity hub proposed by Mayor Harding. This will go some way to restoring trust and see Ipswich become the most open and transparent council in Australia.
“I strongly support Mayor Harding and Deputy Mayor Marnie Doyle, and my Division 4 colleague Cr Milligan. I pledge to work harmoniously with all other councillors to contribute to a thriving Ipswich.”
Read More
