Poll guide: Who wins mayor and each councillor division in Gold Coast City Council election

Who will win Saturday’s local government election? Here’s ultimate punter’s guide, based on visiting pre-poll and feedback from campaign veterans and experienced volunteers.

Who will win Saturday’s local government election? Here’s ultimate punter’s guide, based on visiting pre-poll and feedback from campaign veterans and experienced volunteers.

Division 1: Cr Mark Hammel (winner). By a cane field. Animal Justice Party put up a single corflute at Ormeau. During two hours, only one bloke refused Cr Hammel’s how-to-vote, but he joked: “It’s okay, Mark – I’m a shooter.”

Division 2: Naomi Fowler (winner). A 300-day preparation and by Australia Day she had all the volunteers needed to fix her damaged signs and sign-up for polling booths.

Division 3: Cr Donna Gates (winner). Few more relaxed than Deputy Mayor on race day.

Division 4: Cr Shelley Curtis (winner). Has to be – it’s a one-horse race here.

Division 5: Cr Peter Young (winner). Experienced, great network around him, Martin Vincent will run second with Katherine Brooke back in the field.

Division 6: This was the Lawson Street booth, Brooke Patterson’s right? Get back to you.

Mayor Tom Tate and suspended councillor Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden at the Runaway Bay pre-polling centre for the 2024 election. To their right, Division 7 candidate Joe Wilkinson.

Division 7: Suspended councillor Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden to win the primary vote, Joe Wilkinson second with Jenna Schroeder third. Joel McInnes has bounced back with great final surge at pre-poll, Edward Sarroff will pull votes. Mr Wilkinson could win on preferences. Steward Meaghan Scanlon, as Local Government Minister, to make the final call?

Eddy Sarroff and son Edward at the pre-poll in the 2024 local government election.

Division 8. Cr Bob La Castra (winner). Diversity Models director Monique Jeremiah ran on “diversity”. Nothing is more diverse than a bloke writing about Bananas in Pyjamas.

Division 9: Cr Glenn Tozer (winner). By the length of Firth Park. Sarah Denny began well, posting about improving parks, then “blocked” people including this form guide analyst so her campaign all turned to – you know, the brown wet stuff you step in, at the Showgrounds.

Division 10: Cr Darren Taylor (favourite). Barbie hot pink Mona Hecke “rattled” her opponent but this good looking stallion has tough support – the grunt and girth of Save Our Spit.

Division 11: (Dead heat). Dan Doran and Nic Rone are from business stables. Could depend on how many residents asked retiring councillor Hermann Vorster who he supports – here’s a clue, ‘Robocop’ loves cricket.

Division 12: Luke Henderson is from a racing winner’s stable. Cathy Osbourne no novice, having run before. But Nick Marshall might surprise, does love a sandy track.

Division 13: Josh Martin (winner). Only because Nikki Archer was a late starter, with Daphne McDonald retiring so late – you cannot give anyone who puts the work in that much start.

Kath Down from Save Our Southern Gold Coast.

Division 14: Gail O’Neill (winner). Kath Down has hand-made signage, less funding than an footy chook raffle and breathed fire, enough to stop a tram but not a long serving councillor.

Mayoral race: Tom Tate (winner). The truth – Eddy Sarroff, if he had started six months earlier with enough volunteers would have forced the mayor to preferences, making it a real race. Voters who are “off Tom” googled his rivals and could not find enough to vote for them.

Voters at the Lawson Street pre-poll centre in Southport as voting started in the Gold Coast City Council 2024 election.

Finally, Cr Patterson. Her colleagues said she was the councillor most under threat. They now say she is favoured to win with Sam Delmege second. Actor David Woodley, who will run third, must believe he has been a player in a reality soap opera.

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