2024 Toowoomba mayoral candidate Douglas Doelle of Oakey passes away at 71
A twice-former Toowoomba mayoral candidate with a “real passion” for the region’s small towns has passed away.
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The Toowoomba region’s only other mayoral candidate for the 2024 council elections has passed away.
Oakey’s Douglas James “Doug” Doelle, who ran against Geoff McDonald this year and former mayor Paul Antonio in 2020, died on October 19. He was 71.
A former council employee, Mr Doelle was passionate about the Toowoomba region’s smaller communities and ran campaigns on trying to secure more money for towns like Oakey, Pittsworth and Millmerran.
“All money seems to be going to Toowoomba and not the small towns,” he said in 2020.
“I’m going to go around to all the small communities and find out what they want.”
Mr Doelle also ran for the vacant councillor’s position in 2023 following Mr Antonio’s retirement, before making a late entry into the 2024 race.
At the time, Mr Doelle told News Corp he felt he was up to the challenge.
“I feel pretty good — it will be hard against Geoff, but if I don’t get in, it’s not the end of the world,” he said.
Despite a lack of resources and profile, he still earned 17,000 votes — good for about 17 per cent of the vote.
Posting on a public social media group to notify people of his death, daughter Melissa thanked residents who had voted for her father and supported him.
“I just wanted to say thank you for those who voted for my dad in the election for mayor, it really meant a lot to him,” she wrote.
“He had a real passion to be mayor. he had a lot of plans for Toowoomba and regional towns.”
Ms Doelle has been contacted for comment.
Mr Doelle’s funeral will be held at a gravesite service at the Oakey Cemetery on Taylor Street on October 29 from 10.30am.
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