Meet Logan's new man - Mr Pucci

Question & Answer with State Member Michael Pucci

Tell our readers a bit about yourself.

I am the youngest of eight children. I have four brothers and three sisters.

While I was growing up, our family moved around a fair bit because we were on state assistance.

When I was seven, my mother and father separated, so then it was my mum who raised us on her own.

At 17 and still in high school, I signed the paperwork to enlist in the military, as my dad, my uncles and four brothers all served in the military.

When I turned 18, I went on active duty. I spent 20 years in the marines travelling around.

I did a broad range of things from security forces to recruiting and administration.

I was also involved in Desert Shield and Desert Storm which were the largest compact service support elements ever in the marine corps history at that time.

While I was here in Australia in 1999 training some of the boys from the Enoggera Barracks I met my wife.

When I retired in 2001 I moved back to Australia where I then started working at a cleaning company.

How did you become involved in politics?

Some part of me always wanted to work in the government.

Ever since I got out of the marine corps I thought I would go and work for the government because I always liked the team work, the comradely and knowing that people were working towards the same goal.

At barbecues with friends, we always talked about why people don't do this, and why people do that, and that's when my friends asked me why I didn't run for politics.

I talked about it for a few years and then thought this year I would run for the council.

But at a Chamber of Commerce meeting I met a Federal Member who thought I would make a better State Member.

How have you found the first few months of being a State Member?

It is a lot of hard work, but I don't mind the work at all.

It has been a big learning curve, but I have loved it all.

I am in a job where I feel useful again. I feel I am doing something that matters.

I feel like I did when I was in the marine corp. I am doing something for a good cause again, and I am excited about that.

What are some of your accomplishments so far?

The first thing I did as a newly elected member was to send an email to the minister for roads and main roads about the Park Ridge Connector, telling them it needed to be reviewed.

Since then, I have opened up the doors for consultations with ministers and organisations for the public.

I promised when I was campaigning I would recommend a review and more consultation, which I did.

Another thing I focused on during my campaign was getting more police, which I have done.

For the Logan district, there have been, I think, 25 new police officers.

I have also been closely involved with the people from the Veto Energex Towers Organisation (VETO).

What are your plans for the future?

I want to get more of a focus on Logan.

People always think of the Gold Coast and Brisbane, but Logan always gets looked over.

That is why I have had four or five ministers come and see what is happening here in Logan.

I want to make people know we need to work together as a community. The government isn't going to fix all of the problems. The police aren't going to fix all of the problems. It is more important than ever to come together and take responsibility for our community.

I have lived in Logan for the past nine years, and I won't go anywhere else.

I love living in Logan.