GULF Cattleman's Association President Barry Hughes looks set to take the helm of the Etheridge Shire, while former Charters Towers mayor Frank Beveridge may be reinstated to his previous post.
While technical issues prevented results for several northern shires from being uploaded to the Electoral Commission of Queensland website after the polls closed at 6pm on Saturday, the preliminary count has now been updated.
Mr Hughes threw his hat in the ring for the mayoral race in the Etheridge shire, against sitting Mayor Warren Devlin, who was contesting the position for a third term.
Voting in the shire was run via full postal ballot, but with 65.77 per cent of the preliminary vote counted, Mr Hughes was sitting on 64.93 per cent, with 237 votes to Cr Devlin's 35.07 per cent, or 128 votes.
An upset may also be on the cards in Charters Towers, with former mayor and local businessman Frank Beveridge out to an early lead over sitting mayor Liz Schmidt, who was recontesting for a second term.
Mr Beveridge, who served one term as mayor from 2012-2016 before being beaten by Cr Schmidt, had 43.60 per cent of the preliminary count, or 2198 votes.
Cr Shmidt was sitting on 37.99 per cent, or 1915 votes, while Tony McDonald who also contested the mayoralty had 18.41 per cent, or 928 votes, with 69.51 per cent of votes counted.
It is likely the result may come down to postal votes, which will take some time to be processed.
Further west, Jane McNamara looks set to be returned as the Flinders Shire Council mayor for a second term.
Cr McNamara, who led her community through the flood devastation, was up against former mayor Greg Jones, who she outsted by just 10 votes in 2016, and current serving councillor Graham Sealy.
With 72.19 per cent of the preliminary vote counted, Cr McNamara was in the lead with 41.76 per cent or 347 votes.
Cr Sealy was in second position with 31.17 per cent or 259 votes, and Mr Jones had 27.08 per cent, or 225 votes.
In other flood devastated communities, it was be a four horse race for the top job in McKinlay, after Belinda Murphy announced she would not recontest the mayoral job in 2020.
Current councillor Philip Curr is out to a preliminary lead with 44.71 per cent or 152 votes with 65.71 per cent of ballots counted.
Nyssa Currin has 37.06 per cent (126), Shannon Rae holds 9.71 per cent (33) and Lynette Clout has 8.53 per cent (29).
Also in the west, long standing Richmond Mayor John Wharton and Cloncurry Mayor Greg Campbell were relected unopposed.
On the North Queensland coast, the mayors of Hinchinbrook, Whitsunday and Mackay were also reinstated unopposed.
In Mackay, Green Shirts Movement coordinator Martin Bella looks likely to be returned as a councillor.
Of the 21 people vying for the 10 councillor positions, Cr Bella has the second highest number of individual votes with 12,793 trailing only behind Karen May (12851) with 26.99 per cent counted.
In the Far North, it looks like there will be a shake up on the Cassowary Coast and in the Douglas Shire, while new mayors will be elected for both Mareeba and the Tablelands, with the former mayors choosing not to recontest.