Former Division 1 Councillor, Derek Swanborough is leading the vote tally in Division 1 with the two other contenders vying for second place and the fourth contender not far behind them.
Swanborough was the first representative of the Division which is centred on the populous northern section of Tamborine Mountain.
For his campaign, he ran on a platform of having Tamborine Mountain leave the Scenic Rim and join the Gold Coast City Council, which appears to have resonated with voters.
After the finish of the pre-poll counting on Monday, Swanborough’s vote stood at 1,084, while there was only two votes between Queensland Greens candidate, Sally Williams (799) and the incumbent Division 2 Councillor Nadia O’Carroll (797).
Amanda Hay is coming a close fourth with 725 votes.
It is expected that the flow of preferences will be the deciding factor in the final outcome.
The Division has been held for two terms by Nigel Waistel following Swanborough’s bid for the mayoralty in 2012.
Waistel announced his retirement in the lead up to this election after winning the 2012 election with more than 53 percent of the vote and the 2016 election with more than 58 percent following the distribution of preferences. In 2016, he held off a challenge by Swanborough for the Division.
