Toowoomba Regional Council - battle for Deputy Mayor begins as Antonio chases No. 2 spot ...

Excerpt from the Chronicle:

Country's out in front for deputy

20 March 2008

While Paul Antonio is shaping up for a tilt as deputy mayor on the Toowoomba Regional Council, there is mounting city angst that the country push has been "overdone" and the job should go to a city delegate.

That's if there is one.

Former Pittsworth mayor Ros Scotney, in vowing she's not interested in the job, said yesterday she'd fielded several calls from people that "they'd overdone it and are now looking for their city representation".

As the battle for the top 10 councillor seats continues, the only potential former city council survivors are Joe Ramia at ninth and Michelle Schneider at 11th. The top eight positions are dominated by former shire mayors and deputy mayors, with former Millmerran mayor Paul Antonio ahead of Cambooya mayor Carol Taylor and Ms Scotney.

Ms Scotney said: "I tried to tell them that all along we need a balance. Now the chickens have come home to roost. "Whoever the new structure is, and I think I will be there, will need to give a lot of thought about a balanced representation," she said.

Ms Scotney said being a councillor would be a big enough job for her.

"I've been very busy as mayor but just the extra travelling you can multiply it by eight," she said.

"While Peter Taylor isn't that far away, I don't know where he's going to live."

The travelling, the distance and the extra duties the deputy mayor has, she said, would sit better with a Toowoomba councillor.

Former Cambooya mayor Carol Taylor, sitting second on the tally, agreed.

"Personally I was thinking we should have a city person because we have a country mayor and that's what I was thinking in the interests of being inclusive.

"But I'm not saying I won't, but I haven't, at this point, considered it," Mrs Taylor said.

When asked whether she thought her surname could be a disadvantage, given she and the mayor elect Peter Taylor share the same surname, Mrs Taylor said: "It shouldn't, but perhaps it might."

"It was a problem during the election and I never thought it would be; I never expected people to think we were related."

But, Mrs Taylor said, they did.

"I heard people say they weren't going to vote for the husband-and-wife team.

Meanwhile, Mr Antonio said: "I'm not going out there chasing it but I think if I top the poll, then I would be a likely candidate."

He concedes topping the poll does not translate to the deputy mayor's job.

"I do have an interest and I'd be more than happy to back up Peter as his deputy," he said.

See - Who will be Deputy Mayor.