Gympie council election 2024, Qld: Latest poll results

Preferences will decide three council divisions and another is split by only 23 votes, as the Gympie region faces the prospect of having six new faces on its next council.

Preferences will be the deciding factor for three divisional races as the region faces the prospect of having six new faces on its next council.

Incumbent mayor Glen Hartwig appears headed for victory as counting of the March 16 election results continued Monday, holding a large lead on his rivals Naomi Wilson and Mark McDonald.

On the first unofficial count Mr Hartwig was ahead with 54.7 per cent of the vote, well clear of Ms Wilson, who received 25.1 per cent, and Mark McDonald, who has 20.1 per cent.

On Sunday, Mr Hartwig said it was too early to celebrate given the mayoral seat had not yet been declared.

It was “always much better to be out in front” though, he said.

“But it’s not a game. It’s a significant responsibility, with other people’s money,” Mr Hartwig said.

The make-up of the council he will lead remains much less clear.

In Division 1, incumbent councillor Jess Milne has been shown to have a narrow 23-vote lead over incumbent deputy mayor Hilary Smerdon, who until this year held the Division 6 seat.

Division 2 incumbent Dolly Jensen has held the Division 2 seat over Marcel Claassen, having secured 64.7 per cent support compared to Mr Claassen’s 35.2 per cent.

In Division 3, which was vacated by Shane Waldock, Shane Warnes is leading a tight race over competitor Charlie Horne with only 117 votes splitting them.

In Division 4, former mayor Mick Curran has a slight lead (34.9 per cent) over incumbent Bruce Devereaux (32.6 per cent) and former councillor Rae Gate (22.5 per cent), but will need preferences to go his way to win the seat.

Long queues at some polling booths frustrated some voters on Saturday, while fellowship was the name of the game among some candidates, with former mayor Mick Venardos catching up with an injured Glen Hartwig at the Senior Citizens Centre.

Michael Torrens (6.2 per cent) and Wayne Boyd (3.5 per cent) round out the rest of Division 4’s count.

Allona Lahn is leading the race in Division 5 over incumbent Dan Stewart, but preferences will likely be the deciding factor there too.

Ms Lahn had received 36.2 per cent of the first count, slightly ahead of Mr Stewart who received 33.1 per cent.

Kris Kahler sat in third with 30.5 per cent support.

The wide open Division 6 fight to replace Mr Smerdon has gone to Warren McEwan, who claimed 59.5 per cent of the count.

Dave Golding received 23.1 per cent of the vote and Brian Thomas finished third with 17.2 per cent.

Preferences will be needed to split the race at Division 7, too.

Incumbent Warren Polly has the lead with 31.1 per cent, ahead of citizen of the year Sean Connelly (28.1 per cent), Donna Reardon (22.8 per cent), and Tim Jerome (17.9 per cent).

Gordon Maudsley has won the Division 8 seat formerly held by retiring councillor Bob Fredman on the back of 62.3 per cent support, well clear of his only rival Ruth Golden, who garnered 37.6 per cent of the vote.

Earlier

Long lines, voter frustration and one health scare were among the features of council election day in the Gympie region as more than 28,000 voters headed out to have their say.

About two thirds of Gympie’s 42,565 voters cast their vote on election day, with the other third having already pre-polled at the Senior Citizen’s Centre.

An average of 1377 early voters turned out every day to pre-poll, with the biggest number leaving it until the last day before election day – Friday, March 15, when 1700 braved a very warm autumn day, with the line stretching at one point all the way down Mellor Street to the Fiveways roundabout.

Voters were greeted by shorter lines at the Senior Cits on Saturday, but the experience was not without its frustrations with a number of people opting to bail out and head for other less busy booths rather than queue.

A number of voters turned away from the Senior Citizen’s Centre in frustration at the line-up to vote elsewhere on Saturday.

Election volunteer Emma Buhse, who was helping Division 5 incumbent Dan Stewart at the “gauntlet” said several other booths that had been expected to open on Saturday had not because of factors including renovations and staffing issues.

At Gympie South State School, a popular choice for voters dismayed by the Civic Centre lines, showed clear signs of the overflow.

Pre-polling lines were back out to Mellor St and, at one point, Mary St on Friday as more than 1700 voters tried to get ahead of the queues of election day.

Campaign volunteers who had been at the school all day said the line was often about two dozen deep, and at times stretched even further.

It was also claimed part of the day’s problems was understaffing at the Electoral Commission Queensland, with one source, who asked not to be identified, saying the Gympie South booth had to make do with only four people running it.

The opposite end of the spectrum could be found at the James Nash State High School booth in Division 3.

Incumbent Mayor Glen Hartwig and wife Talitha back on the campaign trail Friday after the couple were involved in a shocking crash near Goomboorian.

Election volunteers said lines at the school were long early in the day, but by lunch time it had become scattered arrivals.

One voter had a health scare at the Nash booth, collapsing after walking up Myall St to the school entrance.

He was assisted by volunteers until paramedics arrived, and then taken to Gympie Hospital without getting the chance to have his election say.

A limited exit poll across the three booths suggested incumbent Mayor Glen Hartwig had the edge to retain his seat.

Election volunteer Emma Buhse, who was helping division 5 incumbent Dan Stewart at the Senior Citizen’s Centre “gauntlet”, said several other pollings booths that were expected to be open on Saturday were not due to factors including renovations, leading to long lines.

It was a result similar to a more widespread poll on the day early voting opened, but with a much smaller margin.

Mayoral candidate Mark McDonald, who split his afternoon campaigning across several booths including Gympie South and James Nash, said he was “feeling good”.

“My campaign has gone the way I wanted it,” Mr McDonald said.

Division 3 candidates and rivals Charlie Horne and Shane Warnes put their democratic spirit on display on social media Friday, in a post wishing each other good luck.

This was not unfortunately the case for some other candidates, whose signs had been targeted by vandals or been the subject of slander on social media.

These actions were a reflection of those doing them, he said.

“Decent people behave decently,” Mr McDonald said.

Division 3 candidate Shane Warnes, who is fighting Charlie Horne for the seat vacated by Shane Waldock, said he was happy with his efforts regardless of the final outcome.

“Either one of us will do a good job,” Mr Warnes said.

The pair’s shared sense of democratic respect was reflected on social media where on Friday night each posted a photo of themselves shaking hands and wishing each other luck.

Originally published as Gympie council election 2024, Qld: Latest poll results