Race for eight new councillors in the city of Ipswich continues

The race for the eight councillor positions in Ipswich continues with new faces in pole position to tip incumbents out chambers. Read all the details here.

Incumbent Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding has reclaimed the top spot for a second term. Picture: Jonathan O'Neill.

Counting for the division councillors for Ipswich City Council recommenced this morning after incumbent mayor Teresa Harding claimed victory late Saturday evening.

Harding becomes the first second-term mayor for the city since Paul Pisale.

Harding said the primary vote for her nearest rival, former councillor David Martin, was too low, with most voters opting to not put forward a preference vote.

“Ipswich has responded loudly that residents want a strong leader that they know they can trust,” Mrs Harding said.

“Our city was given a clear choice, to return to the dark old days of the former council, or continue to move forward”.

In Division three, former Ipswich Mayor Andrew Antoniolli is currently sitting in second place behind incumbent Marnie Doyle, and ahead of Andrew Fechner.

In that area, currently 36 per cent of the vote have been counted, with Marnie Doyle leading the tight race on 22.38 per cent.

Her first term colleague, Andrew Fechner is trailing the former Mayor by 253 votes.

Incumbent Councillor for Division 1, Sheila Ireland will not be returning to the council chambers, as her bid to take the top job fell short.

Ireland threw her support behind senior parliamentary adviser for Senator Jacqui Lambie and the Katter Australia Party, Josh Addison, who is falling behind the pack in his race for the position.

Fellow incumbent Division 1 councillor Jacob Madsen is leading the charge for the second term with 745 votes separating him from his nearest rival, Pye Augustine, who is in a tight race for the final position with Simon Ingram, leading by less than 100 votes.

Incumbent Deputy Mayor and Division 4 councillor Russell Milligan appears to have lost his seat, trailing behind local radio personality David Cullen by just under 1,000 votes.

While only 46 per cent of the votes for Division 4 have been counted, the former sitting member for Ipswich West has topped the poll, and is likely to take top spot.

Madden’s former seat in ‘Labor’s heartland’ of Ipswich West is expected to fall to the LNP after suffering a mammoth 15.2 per cent swing the by-election.

While in Division 2, Incumbent Councillors and running partners Paul Tully and Nicole Jonic have declared victory in their bid for re-election.