A newly elected North Queensland mayor has been hit with a vote of no confidence barely two months after being voted in.
On Wednesday, Townsville City councillors moved a motion of no confidence against Mayor Troy Thompson, though the beleaguered civic leader was not in the room.
The no-confidence motion was carried, along with additional points to once again ask Mr Thompson to step down and be removed from committees and boards.
Councillors also decided to request the chief executive send relevant information about the mayor’s character and conduct to the executive of Queensland’s Department of Local Government.
The mayor posted to social media that he was taking a leave of absence until a Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) investigation into his conduct was over.
Mr Thompson made a brief foray into politics in 2020, but One Nation dumped him as a candidate shortly before the Queensland state election.
He ran for mayoralty this year and was sworn in as Townsville mayor on April 10, but his stint in local government has been mired in controversy.
During the election campaign, Mr Thompson claimed to have been in the army for five years, including with the elite SAS. In reality, his service record shows he did less than six months of entry-level training with the army reserves over 2½ years.
As he holds the mayoral chains in a city of more than 4000 enlisted personnel, the Townsville RSL issued a rebuke, saying: “Misleading claims of military service are not only dishonest but are deeply disrespectful to those who have genuinely served Australia.”
While campaigning, Mr Thompson claimed to have business degrees. He then backtracked in an interview with A Current Affair, saying he never finished those studies.
More than 100 concussions and epilepsy caused his discrepancies in memory, he said.
The Townsville Bulletin reports more than 2400 people – or 91 per cent of respondents surveyed – want the mayor to resign.
Queensland’s council integrity watchdog has referred Mr Thompson to the CCC over whether he misled the public during his election campaign.
Local Government Minister Meaghan Scanlon has sought advice on how to suspend or dismiss the mayor, and the MP has indicated that she will wait for the CCC’s findings.
Mr Thompson replaced Jenny Hill, who was mayor for 12 years, following a tight vote count in March that took weeks to finalise.
Ms Hill, a prominent Queensland Labor Party member, has entertained the prospect of a Senate run, but the idea is still up in the air and she is tight-lipped on the prospect of a council by-election should Mr Thompson vacate.