Poll: Which councillor should replace Paul Antonio if mayor retires before end of term

Which councillor should replace mayor Paul Antonio if he was to retire early? We want to hear your thoughts. Vote in our poll here.

Toowoomba mayor Paul Antonio has not ruled out retiring before the end of the current council term.

But if he were to do so, which of his colleagues would replace him?

Mr Antonio confirmed to News Corp on Friday the 2020-2024 local government term would be his last, bringing an end to a laudable career spanning more than 40 years.

What he could not confirm is whether he would see the full term out, saying a “decision had not been made” on that.

Under the Local Government Act, a mayor’s retirement or dismissal towards the end of the term would mean a councillor would be elected mayor by their colleagues in a special motion.

While Geoff McDonald is currently the deputy mayor, a position he controversially secured ahead of highest-polling councillor Rebecca Vonhoff, every councillor would have the chance to put their hand up to serve the rest of the term.

If a councillor was appointed to acting mayor, their democratically-elected position would actually be advertised to the general public due to the vacancy occurring within 12 months of the next election.

The remaining councillors would then interview applicants and choose a suitable candidate to fill the position until 2024.

This has happened quite recently at southwest Queensland’s Balonne Shire Council, where deputy mayor Richard Lomman resigned on April 1.