Toowoomba mayor Paul Antonio farewelled at final meeting as replacement to be named at Friday session

Toowoomba’s mayor has chaired his last council meeting after more than 40 years of service in local government, with attention now turning to the race to succeed him. DETAILS HERE.

Toowoomba mayor Paul Antonio has chaired his last council meeting after more than 40 years in local government, with the region to find out within days who his successor for the rest of the term will be.

It comes two weeks after the former Millmerran shire official and three-term Toowoomba mayor announced his retirement from politics.

In an emotional meeting at City Hall on Tuesday, Mr Antonio bid his farewell in front of colleagues, officers and a gallery full of supporters.

These included former Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, who briefly addressed the council to thank Mr Antonio for his support while they were both on the Council of Mayors SEQ (COMSEQ).

“For anyone to survive in public life for that long says something about the person,” Mr Quirk said.

“Our interaction was primarily through COMSEQ — you were the deputy and we were on a journey to go from just being a lobbying body to more a collaborative group of councils, where we would not just get up the noses of other levels of government but actually work together as a team to do things to advance the region ourselves.

“When I look around the photos on this wall, it shows the sense of history and continuity of this region in this part of Australia, and you have become embedded in this history, it’s a great contribution.”

Toowoomba mayor Paul Antonio reflects on four decades of local government service following the announcement he will retire on July 21, 2023.

Other high-profile wellwishers included Lockyer Valley mayor Tanya Milligan, Redlands mayor Karen Williams and former councillor Joe Ramia.

Mr Antonio spoke briefly at the start of the meeting, reasserting his belief in serving his community of Millmerran.

“It was not part of my life’s plan to serve as mayor of the Toowoomba region, because it didn’t exist,” he said.

“But it was part of my life’s plan to serve my community of Millmerran.

“I always believe that in life, there’s a hand on your shoulder and things happen for a reason.”

Along with a 10-minute video presentation, councillors also made short tributes to Mr Antonio on his career.

Attention will now turn to Friday’s special meeting, where the 10 remaining councillors will vote on replacing Mr Antonio for the rest of the term.

Geoff McDonald; Paul Antonio; Carol Taylor.

While deputy mayor Geoff McDonald has already made his intentions clear, experienced former mayor and deputy Carol Taylor says she is also ready to step up and lead the region until the 2024 elections.

If Mr McDonald were to win, a vote would be required to appoint a deputy.

While a number of councillors have already ruled themselves out of leadership positions, councillor Rebecca Vonhoff has not indicated whether she will run.

Ms Vonhoff achieved the highest votes at the 2020 election and would have normally been endorsed as deputy mayor at the first meeting.

However, the majority of her colleagues broke with tradition and installed Mr McDonald.

The meeting will be held at City Hall from 12pm.