Tony Wellington, Noosa’s Mayor for the past four years, has conceded defeat to challenger Clare Stewart in a tight contest for the position.
“Although there are still some postal votes arriving from Brisbane today (Wednesday), they will not be sufficient to alter the outcome of the mayoral election. The Returning Officer has not yet declared the final result, but it is evident that I cannot win from those remaining ballots.”
“As things stand, Clare Stewart is more than 300 votes ahead of me. That is a close finish, given more than 34,000 votes have been cast, but it is also a clear result.
“I wish Clare every success over the coming years. She will be Noosa’s first female Mayor, and that in itself is already an achievement.
“It has been an honour and a privilege to have served the Noosa community as both a Councillor and a Mayor. I will cherish many memories of my time in public office. I particularly want to thank my Councillor colleagues, as well as the wonderful Council staff. Noosa is truly blessed to have so many caring, passionate people working on its behalf. The CEO and departmental Directors were a joy to work alongside, as were Cathy and Kylie, the Executive Assistants.”
“I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the candidates who will be elected as Noosa Councillors.”
“Clare and her Councillor team will be taking on some significant challenges, with the coronavirus pandemic making many aspects of council operations far from normal. However I am sure they will all be up to the task. Thankfully, there is significant experience amongst the returning Councillors, Frank Wilkie, Brian Stockwell and Joe Jurisevic.”
“I offer the whole Councillor team, including soon-to-be Mayor Stewart, my sincere congratulations.”
