Ballot draw confirms who will be presenting first for vacant Toowoomba Regional Councillor position

Toowoomba Regional Council has held a ballot draw to determine the speaking order of nominees for the vacant councillor position. Here’s who will present their case first.

Isabella Pesch

2 min read

August 21, 2023 - 3:00PM

Toowoomba Chronicle

Council

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The Toowoomba Regional Council held a ballot draw on Monday morning with a strong turnout of nominees eager to hear who will speak first at the Special Meeting of Council.

The meeting, due to be held next month, will determine which member of the Toowoomba community will fill a vacant councillor seat left open following the retirement of previous mayor Paul Antonio.

TRC CEO Brian Pidgeon pulled the 23 names out of a box to determine the order of presentations.

“At this meeting … nominees … will be afforded the opportunity to speak for up to two minutes about their suitability for the role.” Mr Pidgeon said.

Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) CEO Brian Pidgeon announced the order of presentations at the special council meeting

Campaigner and social justice advocate, Ellisa Parker jumped in surprise when she heard her name called out first and said she was keen to show why she should have the role.

“I think it’s a good opportunity to represent for this council election, I live in the outlying areas of Toowoomba and I believe we need firm representation for those areas,” she said.

“I have previously run in the federal election as Greens candidate for Maranoa, but my current passions are homelessness and neighbourhood safety.

Ellisa Parker is one of the candidates for the Region Council Position for Toowoomba Regional Council

My Two Blankets author, Irena Kobald’s name was called out fourth and she said she was thrilled to get the opportunity to bring inclusivity into the community.

“My book happened because of Toowoomba, and now I want to use the book’s themes of welcoming and supporting different cultures into the community and make Toowoomba the blanket of support that it has been for so many before,” Ms Kobald said.

Fourteenth to be called out, Edwina Farquhar is an active member of the Toowoomba community, owning three local businesses.

“I see this as my chance to give back, I want to see our community grow and thrive, and I’d like to contribute to that as much as possible,” she said.

“I’ve got a number of employees and customers who can rely on us to look after them, and I think a councillor position is similar. It’s helping to look after the community and making the best decisions possible.”

The Special Meeting of Council will be held on September 12 at 2pm, where the nominees will present in the order announced.

Once all nominees have presented, the current council will appoint who will fill the vacant councillor position.

The nominated candidate will hold this position until the next election on March 16 next year.