Ed Warren is famous for winning the mayor’s race at Winton in the 2008 council elections by a coin toss, when he and Graham “Butch” Lenton each received 423 votes.
Butch challenged and won the Winton mayor’s position in the 2012 election, and Mr Warren spent the last four years helping revamp the Central West Hospital and Health Service board as its inaugural chairman.
Now, although polls are yet to be declared, it looks certain that Mr Warren will once again become Cr Warren as mayor of the Longreach Regional Council.
He was leading incumbent Joe Owens in the race for the Longreach mayoralty with 64 per cent of the vote on Wednesday morning.
Barcoo Shire
Continuing the ‘everything old is new again’ theme in the central west is Windorah grazier Bruce Scott, who will depose Julie Groves and take on the job he stepped down from in 2012, as mayor at the Barcoo Shire Council.
Mr Scott has 12 years experience as Barcoo shire mayor from 2002 to 2012, and on Monday night he held 72 per cent of the vote.
Blackall-Tambo Regional Council
The third change at the top in the central west looks to be coming in the form of greenhorn Tambo grazier Andrew Martin, who is leading the five-horse race at Blackall-Tambo.
With no prior council experience, voters have so far given him 39 per cent of the mayoral primary vote.
A former deputy mayor, Peter Skewes is his nearest rival with 21 per cent of the vote.
Mayor Barry Muir is a distant fourth on 14 per cent, behind one of his councillors, Tom Johnstone, who has 17 per cent of people’s approval.
Barcaldine Regional Council
Rob Chandler will continue in the role as Barcaldine Regional Council mayor after a landslide 73 per cent win over challenger Sharon Broughton.
He may have three new councillors at the table though, with Sean Dillon, Mylinda Rogers and Beccy Plumb set to replace Russ Glindemann, Andy Cowper and Phil Mitchell.
Deputy mayor Jenni Gray, Gary Peoples and Garry Bettiens should be returned.
Residents of the Blackall-Tambo region are looking at a whole new council for the second time in succession, with Blackall grazier Lindsay Russell, sergeant Ben Holdcroft, Tambo carpenter Graham “Slip” Jarvis, Tambo grazier Pam Pullos, Blackall solicitor Boyd Johnstone and Blackall’s Hector Heumiller set to oust sitting councillors Terry Brennan, Jeremy Barron, Nev Dolinski and Richelle Curnow, with 77 per cent of the vote counted.
At Longreach, two current councillors, Tony Emslie and Trevor Smith are on track to be returned.
Stonehenge grazier Leonie Nunn is the success story, topping the poll at her first attempt, alongside Qantas Founders Museum CEO Tony Martin as another popular debut candidate.
Tony Rayner and Trevor Harris round out the numbers there.
Current councillors that will probably miss the cut include Emmett’s Jocelyn Avery, Ilfracombe’s Tony Neilsen, and Longreach’s Rae Bowden.