General News
17 March, 2024
Amy Eden on track to win Cairns mayoralty
COUNCILLOR Amy Eden (Team Edern) is leading the mayoral race in Cairns as of 11am today when she had 32.05 per cent of the vote (14,531 votes) after 41.11 per cent had been counted.
She leads second place Mayor Terry James (Unity Team) by a clear margin (22.76 per cent, 10,317), followed closely by independent Paul Taylor (21.45 per cent, 9723).
In fourth spot is Community First leader Denis Walls (13.84 per cent, 6275), then John Kelly (Jel) of the Common Sense Party (4.78 per cent, 2166), independent Leah Potter (3.55 per cent, 1609) and last Warren Vetters (Binda) 1.57 per cent, 711).
Total people enrolled is 117,585, with 48,346 votes counted but of those 3014 were informal.
So far, and based on trends, Unity will have three or four councillors (not enough for a majority) and five independents. Team Eden may have two councillors - mayoral candidate Cr Eden and division four’s Trevor Tim. Community First is unlikely to be represented in the council.
In division one Unity’s Cr Brett Moller has been re-elected unopposed.
In division 2, independent and chamber of commerce vice-president Matthew Tickner has a clear lead of 35.69 per cent (991) of 2925 votes counted. Second is former councillor John Schilling (17.03 per cent, 473) and third-placed independent Steve Lippingwell (15.7 per cent, 436). He is followed by Unity’s Nikki Giumelli (14.5 per cent, 403), Team Eden’s Kesa Strieby (11.7 per cent, 325) and Community First’s Patricia Courtenay (5.37 per cent, 149).
Popular independent Cathy Zeiger is well out in front in division 3 and should be re-elected with 71.28 per cent of the vote (2229 of 3276 votes counted), ahead of Unity’s Heidi Healy (16.09 per cent, 503) and Community First’s Marisa Sedan (12.63 per cent, 395).
Division four councillor Jeremy Neal (Unity) is leading with 32.22 per cent (943 of 3078 votes counted), with Team Eden’s Trevor Tim a close second (30.03 per cent, 879), followed by independents Cate Mahoney (19.34 per cent, 566) and Shane Cuthbert (18.41 per cent, 539).
Independent Rob Pyne who switched to division 5 from division 2 is in front with 29.89 per cent of the count (727 out of 2541), with Unity’s Nathan Lee Long (25.08 per cent, 610) second, Team Eden’s Emma Gelling in third (22.7 per cent, 552), then independents Birgit Machnitze (12.21 per cent, 297) and James Coll (10.12 per cent, 246).
Councillor Kristy Vallely (Unity Teram) should be returned in division 7 with 39.72 per cent (2391 of 6368 votes counted), with Team Eden’s Shane Trimby second (24.54 per cent, 1504), Community First’s Nicole Sleeman (20.5 per cent, 1256) and independent Alan Benn (15.94 per cent, 977).
Independent Anna Middleton is first in division 7 (31.47 per cent, 1374 of 4629 votes counted), with Unity’s Matthew Calanna second (26.07 per cent, 1138), Renee Lees of Community First in third (25.72 per cent, 1123) and Eden’s Ian Moller-Nielsen last with 16.74 per cent.
Councillor Rhonda Coghlan (Unity) is way in front in division 8 (34.89 per cent, 2692 of 8212 votes counted) Second is Team Eden’s Jo Piggott (27.76 per cent, 2142), followed by independent Hannah Boon (17.37 per cent, 1340) and Community First’s Phillip Musumeci (19.98 per cent, 1542).
Independent councillor Brett Olds should also be returning to council headquarters with 77.56 per cent (4432 of 5917 votes counted) ahead of Community First’s Carine Visschers (22.44 per cent, 1282).
