Former state MP seizes healthy lead in Townsville mayoral race
Former Katter Party deputy leader Nick Dametto has taken a healthy lead in the Townsville mayoral by-election with more than 21,000 votes as ballot counting continues.
By Sunday morning, with about a third of the votes counted, Dametto received more than 60 percent of the vote, followed by current Acting Mayor Ann-Maree Greaney, who received just over 12 percent.
in an online post Saturday night. Townsville Bulletin Dametto, who said the by-election was in his favor, thanked voters by attaching a photo of himself drinking beer with locals at the city’s Metropole bar.
Former Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto (far right) thanked Townsville after local media described the mayoral by-election as being in his favour.Credit: Facebook/Nick Dametto
“Cheers Townsville – I love this city,” he wrote.
Dametto announces he will run for Townsville mayor Hours after former mayor Troy Thompson tendered his resignation. It follows an 18-month investigation by the state corruption watchdog sparked by allegations that he lied about various credentials, including his military service, in the run-up to his victory in 2024.
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Thompson ran for re-election in the midterm election and sat out Sunday morning with about 5 percent of the vote.
Dametto did not officially declare victory on Saturday night, with mail-in votes arriving within the next nine days, but a result could be announced before then.
As a state MP, Dametto held the seat of Hinchinbrook, which covers the coastal areas north of Townsville, including Ingham and Cardwell, as well as parts one, two and four of the Townsville local government area.
