Dyne returned as mayor
ONLY one survived.
Of all the regional mayors who lined up for re-election in Gympie's Wide Bay-Burnett Region on Saturday, Gympie's Mayor Ron Dyne appears to have been the only one returned to office.
"That's my understanding too," Cr Dyne told The Gympie Times today.
And, for all the complaints traditionally leveled at local government representatives everywhere, Gympie councilors seem to have also been the most popular in Gympie's larger local government neighbourhood.
Of eight sitting councilors, only two were defeated on Saturday - Donna Neilson, who lost Southside's Division 7 to police sergeant Mick Curran and Graham Engeman, who lost the contest for the Cooloola Coast's Division 1 to newsagent Mark McDonald.
Bundaberg Regional Council Mayor Lorraine Pyefinch appears out of the race for her re-election and at Fraser Coast, electors on Saturday sacked their whole council, with one possible but still uncertain exception.
The Local Government Association of Queensland had predicted that sitting councilors , including mayors, would suffer blame for the costs and difficulties of the unpopular amalgamations, which created Gympie Regional Council out of the former shires of Cooloola and Kilkivan and the southern section of the former Tiaro Shire.
In Gympie Region's case, Saturday's poll was also its first with divisions, the council having been established with no divisions and all councilors elected over the whole local government area.
As counting continued, only one Gympie division still appeared to be in some doubt.
Division results so far:
- In Division 1 Tin Can Bay newsagent Mark McDonald appears to have the numbers.
- In Division 2 Rae Gate has been returned.
- In Division 3 Ian Petersen has been returned.
- Division 4 is still too close to call with preferences expected to decide the issue with seven candidates seeking election.
- In Division 5 Larry Friske has been returned.
- In Division 6 Tony Perrett has been returned.
- In Division 7 Gympie policeman Mick Curran seems certain to take the post.
