She stood down for the next four year term, instead turning her hand to reporting on and analysing public affairs for the local newspaper, Noosa Today, and her own Noosa by Design blog.

Tomorrow, Ingrid will formally announce that she will stand for election as Mayor of Noosa Shire in the mid-March local government poll.  You can link here to find brief sketches of a few of her policies.

I’m taking this opportunity to briefly communicate this news to our readers. So I’ll let Ingrid take up the story here:

__________

'I won’t leave those
plans on the shelf'

INGRID JACKSON

I’m standing for election as Mayor of Noosa to ensure our Council makes a beneficial and lasting difference to the lives of the people of our Shire,
both now and in the future.

I’m a great supporter of the Noosa Plan and will encourage Councillors to stay focused on its 20-year vision to make our Shire a place where community, economy and environment can thrive in harmony.

As Mayor, I will lead the Council in shifting away from what people rightly see as too little action on big issues. I refer to vital matters like housing, traffic, business development and the river (and there are more), where the Council has under-achieved.

If I’m elected Mayor I’ll initiate action to have plans and strategies implemented rather than left sitting on the shelf.

I'll also draw on my previous career as a Sydney-based management consultant and, more recently, as Noosa Councillor. Some residents will remember my relentless pursuit of greater transparency, good governance and evidence-based decision-making at Noosa Council.

I frequently found myself isolated, undermined and intimidated by the majority of councillors, but strongly backed by residents I won some notable victories to make the Council more open and accountable to the community.

It is sad, in a society valuing freedom of speech, that I was at times prevented from bringing forward motions for debate.

I understand that the female Mayor and Councillors, who are a minority in the current Council, have experienced similar unacceptable treatment.

I’m not easily intimidated and will always act to improve the governance of Noosa Council in what I believe to be the best interests of residents.

Since coming to live in our beautiful Shire in 2013, I‘ve been an active participant in a number of voluntary associations established to help improve the way we live or do business here.

At various times I’ve been Secretary of the Noosa Chamber of Commerce, a Vice-President and Secretary of the local branch of the Country Women’s Association, and Honorary Secretary of Noosa Parks Association.

I have an MBA (in Public Administration) from the Australian Graduate School of Management (University of NSW), a Graduate Diploma in Education (UNSW) and a Bachelor of Arts (University of Alberta, Canada). I’m also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Throughout, my career continued to be dedicated to facilitating individual growth, driving positive change and improving communications in organisations.

After I came to Australia as a young woman, I was recruited by the Department of Foreign Affairs to direct high level courses for human resources managers from Asia, Africa, the Pacific Islands and the Caribbean. My next role was as Equal Employment Opportunity Coordinator for the NSW Ministry of Education.

I left the public service in 1989 to work for Westpac, managing its executive development and national communication programs. My next move was to establish my consulting company, Executive Management Solutions.

EMS had many long-term clients including the Commonwealth Bank, Sydney Water, NSW Public Works, Elders and David Jones. I also undertook shorter projects for UNESCO, Hornsby Shire Council and Delta Electricity.