It’s official. Hout Bay now has the best ward councillor in town.
Last Thursday ward councillor Roberto Quintas bagged the City of Cape Town’s Councillor of the Year 2019 Speaker’s Award at the City of Cape Town Chambers.
“It was an honour and a privilege beyond measure to be awarded. I believe a true public representative does not see his or her role as a job, it is a vocation and a calling, and should not be sought in the pursuit of financial gain, nor thanks,” Mr Quintas said after receiving his award.
The Speaker’s Award is bestowed on a councillor who has exhibited a high standard of performance and service delivery excellence in terms of norms and standards set by the Speaker of Council, Dirk Smit.
Mr Quintas comes from a media, brand and public relations background, having studied and worked in that field from 1997 to 2016.
As a youth, he was chairperson of his high school student representative council as well as being a human rights and equality advocate and activist. In 2011, he decided that he needed to get more involved in building communities, and in 2015, ran for council.
“Being awarded this accolade is not a milestone at which I can stop or pause. It is in my mind a bar which has been set, and to which I must live up to every year, and strive to exceed and
improve on, for the benefit of my constituents and the City,” Mr Quintas said, who takes
over from Ward 115 councillor, Dave Bryant, who won last year’s award.
He ended by saying: “I cannot accept this award alone, and must thank the many colleagues and officials and residents who inspire me daily and who encourage me in some way to strive to do better, and constantly try to improve my service.”
