Councillor Peter Bray has been elected as deputy mayor unopposed.
COUNCILLOR Peter Bray is pleased as punch to retain his role as the Queanbeyan City Council deputy mayor in the new term.
"I'm very proud to be re-elected by my fellow councillors unopposed," he said.
Cr Bray served one year as deputy mayor in the previous term and said he particularly enjoys going out to community events and mixing with the locals.
Cr Bray said the new council's main challenge is to service a growing population while retaining the region's unique character.
"There's a lot of pressure on the town's infrastructure and that includes water, sewage, power, storm water, traffic and roads. That load is only going to get greater as the population increases," he said.
"We have to think about how are we going to cope with that rapid increase and how are we going to accommodate for a larger number of people?"
Cr Bray said he felt the council had done a good job in the last term.
"I think the general thread is the council and community pretty well share the same views and ideals but the variation comes with how people priortise," he said.
"Some people will want the roads widened while others want more off-lead dog areas.
"However, on the major things I think we pretty well agree on things like upgrading the CBD and getting a cinema. Underpinning all this of course is the rapid population growth."
Cr Bray was elected to council in 2008. The Jerrabomberra resident was inspired by his daughter Geraldine to run because he wanted more local support services for those with disabilities in Queanbeyan.
Establishing the Moudji Respite Centre is good start Cr Bray said but he would like to see more support particularly for people with severe disabilities. It is an issue that is still close to his heart.
"I'd like to see more accessibility in the city so all people in motorised wheelchairs can visit anywhere. The new Crawford Street Lifestyle Precinct is a great example, on the day we opened a lady in a motorised wheelchair said she hadn't been there in 15 years because it was simply too dangerous before," he said.
Cr Bray's views on:
Crawford Street Lifestyle Precinct: "Once everything settled down people have realised it's a wonderful thing, they are already saying 'where to next?'. The CBD is a wonderful gem and it needs to be further developed with walkways, pathways and we need to take advantage of our platypus population to boost tourism."
Ellerton Drive Extension: "A major issue is the quarry trucks that come through the centre of town, the Ellerton Extension Drive will ease that congestion. It will be good for a whole range of people not just the people on Old Cooma Road."
Community consultation: "I'd say to people 'don't complain, get involved'. Council encourage people to comment on drafts, plans and to participate in focus group and community activities. It's really too late when the plans are all signed to say something."