Clynton Hawks’ connection to Townsville’s embattled mayor

A former Katter candidate has denied claims his disendorsement was linked to an affiliation with embattled Townsville Mayor Troy Thompson, who was his initial choice for campaign manager.

Clynton Hawks (left) said Townsville Mayor Troy Thompson was among three options for campaign manager before his tilt for the seat of Thuringowa.

Disendorsed Katter’s Australia Party Thuringowa candidate Clynton Hawks has denied rumours he was booted from the party because of an affiliation with embattled Townsville mayor Troy Thompson – who had been his preferred option for campaign manager.

For months after his disendorsement Mr Hawks contemplated whether he would run as an independent or for another party, but has now endorsed LNP candidate Natalie Marr instead, with the hopes of having a tilt for the major party in a future election.

The conservative truck driver said there had been an affiliation with Mr Thompson last year but that he had distanced himself before Mr Thompson’s past insolvency issues and military misrepresentations came to light, following his successful mayoral campaign.

Mr Hawks claimed on social media that interim CEO Joe McCabe had been a contender for the permanent role while accusing him of misleading the media, and suggesting his allegations came from a high-level source within the council chamber.

He told the Bulletin that his post prompted the Office of the Independent Assessor to contact him to request his source.

Townsville City Council’s acting chief executive Joe McCabe sits through an ordinary council meeting. Picture: Evan Morgan

The OIA would not confirm this had happened.

However, Mr Thompson latched onto Mr Hawks’ claims as ammunition in his campaign to remove Mr McCabe from the recruitment shortlist, by sharing Mr Hawks’ original post, prompting councillors to defend the acting CEO.

Mr McCabe strongly denied the allegation he misled the public about the recruitment process.

“I also refuse the mayor’s allegation that I misled the public in my response to a journalist’s question relating the CEO recruitment,” he said in a statement last week.

“This is a confidential process on which I haven’t, and won’t be, making any comments.”

Mr Thompson and Mr Hawks said they had a distant connection despite being photographed together at a Chamber of Commerce event the night Mr Hawks was disendorsed, as well as a document setting out Mr Hawks’ campaign strategy obtained by the Bulletin naming the mayor as Mr Hawks’ preferred campaign manager.

Mr Hawks said the document was a draft written before his campaign started more than a year ago, before Mr Thompson declared his intentions to run for mayor against Jenny Hill, and that he had other options in mind.

Townsville Mayor Troy Thompson chairs an ordinary council meeting. Picture: Evan Morgan

“There were three people, and he was one of them,” Mr Hawks said.

“He reached out to me, mate.

“Obviously, you know being a minor party candidate, I knew of his One Nation stuff and all that, and he was pretty well connected in the community at the time, and then, basically, he asked me if he could be my campaign manager.

“I’d met him a couple of times, and yeah, all of this was before all this stuff about his history and past came out when he ran for mayor.

“That was way before any of this turmoil with him happened.”

Mr Hawks said “hand on my heart” he had no idea why he was disendorsed in late April, previously claiming a stronger candidate was the reason, but concerns with a past affiliation with Mr Thompson was never raised with him by the party or its leaders.

Clynton Hawks at the Townsville 2024 Anzac Day memorial service days before KAP party leaders told him to stand aside as their Thuringowa candidate.

Mr Thompson did not refer to being aware of Mr Hawks’ hopes to have him fulfil the campaign manager role when asked about their association after posting his criticisms of Mr McCabe.

“I know Clynton, I don’t spend a lot of time with Clynton,” Mr Thompson said.

“He’s an advocate for change.

“I know him and we work together and apart, and whenever we need to talk, we talk.”

But the mayor said Mr Hawks was not the political adviser he was attempting to appoint who would be on an estimated $175,000 salary paid by the ratepayer.

“I take advice from many areas, and I’ve retained a solicitor and a barrister down in Brisbane, so Clynton’s certainly not an adviser,” Mr Thompson said.

In late April Mr Hawks was disendorsed by KAP party leader Robbie Katter and his deputy Nick Dametto by video link, and he immediately accused them of replacing him with a stronger candidate as he described the disendorsement a “kick in the guts”.

Mr Katter denied this and said that Mr Hawks was asked to stand aside because he was not improving in areas they had identified.

“There’s development needed for him” Mr Katter said.

Originally published as Clynton Hawks’ connection to Townsville’s embattled mayor