Jim Soorley

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James (Jim) Gerard Soorley (born 1951) is a former Australian politician. He served as Australian Labor Party Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 1991 to 2003. Soorley is a former Roman Catholic Priest and continues to be a strong human rights advocate. Soorley has a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in psychology, from Macquarie University, and a Master of Arts in organisational psychology from Loyola University, Chicago.

The 1991 election was a close election with Soorley just edging out the then Lord Mayor of Brisbane Sally Anne Atkinson through the preferences of Drew Hutton, the Australian Greens candidate. Soorley was not expected to wrest the Lord Mayoralty from the very popular first female (and first Liberal Party of Australia) mayor of Brisbane. The transition period between Atkinson's administration and the incoming Soorley administration was difficult, with the outgoing Atkinson refusing to believe she had lost the election for many weeks afterwards.

Soorley was a virtual "unknown" at that first election, but was one of the few Australian politicians to increase his popular vote in each of the next three elections in which he stood over the next 13 years.

Soorley defeated the following Liberal candidates: 1991 Sally Anne Atkinson; 1994 Bob Ward; 1997 Bob Mills; and 2000 Gail Austen.

Some of the changes in Brisbane that Soorley has been credited with include: allowing widespread footpath dining; introduction of the CityCat ferries; advancing the Busway system; building the Inner City Bypass; starting Riverfestival including the popular Riverfire fireworks and the River Feast;, bringing all sewerage treatment up to at least secondary treatment standards (with removal of nitrogen and phosphorus to additional standards); a city wide recycling program; gas CNG powered buses; started air conditioning the buses; accelerated the purchase of "at risk" bushland and maintaining that bushland; implemented a system of long term re-habilitation for old municipal solid waste tips; and a long term plan to link riverfront land and open it up to the people of Brisbane through a series of pathways called Riverwalk.

Soorley also instituted a number of institutional changes inside of Council including a 24/7 Call Centre; "business style" accounting for budgets and annual reporting; enterprise bargaining; significant changes to leave and other entailments; increased employment opportunities through increased apprenticeships, traineeships and community jobs programs, including a nationally awarded program for "at risk youth" who were recovering from drug addiction; as well as a shift from Brisbane Council being only concerned with "rates, roads, rubbish" to taking on issues such as drug use, homelessness, domestic violence and social justice.

Before leaving office Soorley started the major infrastructure projects, such as the Eleanor Schonell Bridge (previously known as the Green Bridge) from Dutton Park to St Lucia and North-South Bypass Tunnel.

Soorley currently writes a weekly column for the Sunday Mail and is a management consultant.

[edit] Trivia

Soorley was known by some as "Lord Mayor Jim", with local radio station B105 having a character by the same name on their popular morning show with Jamie Dunn. The "Lord Mayor Jim" character was noted for answering the phone with a low guttural "helllllllllllllo" that quickly rose to an almost ear piercing pitch by the end of the word. Over the years this trademark "hello" continued to grow in length until the "hello" lasted almost as long as the actual conversations with the radio presenters. The real "Lord Mayor Jim" did not answer his phone this way.

Preceded by Sallyanne Atkinson

Lord Mayor of Brisbane 1991–2003

Succeeded by Tim Quinn