Published February 2025
With the Brisbane City Council elections in March, and the Queensland state election in October both Central Ward and McConnel re-elected their incumbents Vicki Howard and Grace Grace, ‘elder stateswomen’ who have held their seats for over 10 years now.
Village Voice sat down with these two strong women who reflected on their commitment to community and why, despite predictions of losses by commentators, they have continued to hold the trust of voters.
After a quarter of a century spent in Central Ward, 13 of those years as councillor, Vicki Howard is a familiar face in the area.
Go to almost any community or non-profit event around here and you will almost certainly see an impeccably dressed woman with unflappable composure, talking amiably with those around her.
The reputation Cr Howard has developed comes down to her insistence on respectful dialogue and the time she has spent learning from community leaders.
“The election in March meant I refocused on what it means to be elected, and of course this is my fourth term so I’m thrilled to continue serving the people of Central Ward.”
“One of the things I think is important is that you listen to people when you are out – we do a lot of community meetings… and it really makes a difference to hear what people a talking about, rather than waiting for someone to come to me.”
She credits her staff with supporting her in her role, and noted that being upfront is something her constituents value.
“People know that we will listen and that we will do our very best; we never promise that we can do something that we are not sure we can deliver.
“Listening, advocating and representing is what is important.”
Cr Howard is a Rotarian, and supports the Lions and other organisations.
She said her connections with many community organisations have been built over time and was grateful to those who had sat down with her to share their insights.
When Cr Howard was first elected, a representative of 3rd Space (then the 139 Club) made the time to take her to dinner and explain how the sector worked.
“I’ve had some fantastic educators… within those organisations are people who have worked in the community sector for a very long time, and I’m very fortunate that they share their wisdom with me.”
“I learn something new every time that I meet someone from those organisations… You have to be curious as to how those organizations are formed and their purpose, and what they need to be to be doing.
“We have a really active community who care about the welfare of those less fortunate, and I think that’s a standout for Central Ward – that we live in such a caring community.”
Cr Howard is also proud of the area’s collaborations between private businesses and the community, a good example of this being a community lunch that is run at Holy Trinity Fortitude Valley in partnership with Technology One and other businesses.
This year, she is looking forward to seeing transport enhanced, with Metro services starting recently and a pre-election $6 million pledge from state minister Tim Nicholls to jointly fund the council’s long-touted Gold CityGlider service from Hamilton to Woolloongabba via the CBD.
She will be glad once the government has made their decision on the venues, saying pragmatically, “we just need to get on with what we’re going to do… the stadiums are only one aspect of the Olympics”.
Heading towards the Olympics and Paralympics, Cr Howard pointed out there will be exciting creative and cultural ideas to come out of the event and said many people have already told her they are keen to volunteer – Paris 2024 had 45,000 volunteers.
Cr Howard has lived in the area since the early 2000s, living in a unit in the city before moving into New Farm in 2007.
Looking at the changes in her area, she reflected that flexibility is important for a representative.
“We’ve grown up and come a long way in the last 10 years… you have to have the ability to pivot to what people want.”
With a federal election looming, she believes cost of living will continue to be a major “common denominator” issue for voters.
With lots of people doing it tough, “it’s about making sure we support the economic growth of the city, which is something that we’re constantly looking at,” she said.
Reflecting on her experience in politics, Cr Howard said: “I’m quite a trusting person, so sometimes I get a bit surprised that people are nasty about something they don’t need to be nasty about.”
“I think since COVID, there has been an intolerance that wasn’t there, and I just hope that people get back to that more respectful place.”
That extends to their council chamber meetings as well as in correspondence from residents.
She sometimes calls people out when they are being disrespectful.
“I’m more confident to be able to call out that sort of thing now… it’s not about wanting people not to say what they think, it’s about doing it in a respectful way.
“It’s a shame if we ever lose that, because these are places where our laws are made and there should be healthy debate.
“I’m always willing to listen to someone, but I’m also someone who, if I don’t agree with it, I will say respectfully that I don’t.”
She said she loves being stopped on the street by people to say hello.
“That’s what New Farm is all about, people know each other, and I think that’s really great.”
