As Mayor, he is charged with representing the City and is directly elected by residents. Presiding over all council meetings; he is the only councillor to not represent a specific Gold Coast Council Division; and is the foremost representative of the City of Gold Coast and its policies.
The City maintains a budget of $1.2 billion annually (is the second highest of municipal governments in Australia), is the second largest local government area in Australia, and maintains a staff of over 3,500.
The mayor's office is primarily located in the Southport Town Hall building in Southport, Queensland.
Tate was elected after former Mayor, Cr. Ron Clarke, resigned on 27 February 2012, after announcing his nomination as an independent candidate for the seat of Broadwater in the 2012 Queensland state election, with Mr Clarke achieving a primary vote of only around 6%.
Tate was born in Vientiane, the capital Laos in 1959. He speaks three languages: English, Thai and Laotian.
He attended school at Scots College in Sydney where he was a drummer in the school's pipe band.
A civil engineer by trade, Tate graduated from the University of NSW in the early 1980s. He started his career in the construction industry and later moved into the tourism and hospitality industry.
Tom has been married to his wife, Ruth, for 36 years and together they have four children.
Cr Tate worked across the world before joining his father, Warwick Tate's development company at the age of 35.
In 1992, Tate Sr bought the Islander Resort Hotel in Surfers Paradise, where Tate performed a refit of the building.
In 1993, he took over management of the Islander and turned it into one of the city’s most successful resorts. Notably, during the late 1990s Asian economic downturn, he offered hotel rooms for $1.
Warwick Tate, who was also a civil engineer by profession, died on 19 January 2015 after a long illness. His funeral service was held at the Scots College Chapel.
An independent, Tate had two tilts at the mayoralty before his success in 2012, including as an endorsed Liberal candidate in 2008.
His reelection saw a massive increase in his primary vote from 37% in 2012 to 64% in 2016. He is noted for refusing to accept political donations, self-funding his campaigns.
In June 2015, he sold the Islander Hotel Resort in Surfers Paradise to Brisbane nightclub identity Louis Bickle, to avoid suggestions he has a conflict of interest.
City of Gold Coast
City of Gold Coast is the local government area spanning the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia and surrounding areas. Based on resident population in the 2011 census, it is the second largest local government area in Australia (City of Brisbane being the largest). Its council maintains a staff of over 2,500. It was established in 1948, but has existed in its present form since 2008.
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