PEOPLE come first, according to Bundaberg council candidate Greg Messenger, who will run in Division 1 in this year's Bundaberg council elections. 

Mr Messenger intends to meet as many of his constituents personally as he can - and wants to raise the quality of people on council.

In his current position as a sales manager for Coates Hire, Mr Messenger, of Burnett Downs, follows this motto: "The more you're seeing the customers, the better the relationship." He wants to give the people of Bundaberg a better voice.

"I'll be knocking on every door I can possibly knock."

Better safety and emergency responses are top priority for Mr Messenger, along with cutting charges for green waste disposal.

"I spend a lot of time on the river and I see people dumping all kinds of waste because they don't have the money to take it to the tip.

"We need to encourage people to do that - it's poisoning our river."

Keeping council more accountable when it comes to decisions on behalf of ratepayers is also top of Mr Messenger's list.

"We need capable people in order to win government grants," he said.

"I was disappointed when we missed that first round [in the State Budget].

"Accountability is so important - I will energetically debate any mediocre decision."

Mr Messenger is also a passionate sportsman. As former president of the Brothers Touch Football, Mr Messenger applied his business nous to bring the organisation into the digital age with improved processes.

"It's about continuous improvement," he said. "I'm not aligned to any party, and I'm very outspoken on any decision that's not right."