Torres Strait Island Regional Council’s Mayor Phillemon Mosby is one of only two sitting mayors across Cape York and the Torres Strait to retain their seat following last month’s local government elections. Photo: Facebook.
Nineteen days after they voted, Cape York and Torres Strait residents now have certainty around who will lead their communities for the next four years.
The Electoral Commission of Queensland (ECQ) finally declared the results of all mayoral and councillor votes on 4 April, including those for Torres Strait Island Regional Council (TSIRC), which had been delayed after bad weather caused mobile polling chaos in mid-March.
With the dust having settled, only two of the 14 Cape York and Torres Strait councils will welcome back a returning mayor – Mayor Wayne Butcher in Lockhart River, and Mayor Phillemon Mosby for TSIRC.
Optional preferential voting proved the difference in Hope Vale, with outgoing mayor Jason Woibo looking to have secured another four years before ECQ distributed preferences to hand the win to opponent Bruce Gibson.
An ECQ spokesperson said preferences had given Mayor Gibson a four-vote margin.
“On 28 March 2024, the ECQ declared Bruce Gibson as the elected candidate for the position of Hope Vale Aboriginal Shire Council Mayor,” the spokesperson told Cape York Weekly.
“The declaration was made following the commencement of a distribution of preference count, which provided absolute certainty about the outcome of the election.”
Voters returned Lockhart River Aboriginal Shire Council Mayor Wayne Butcher for another four years in the top job. Photo: Supplied.
