Contests for mayoral position in all but one weste...

The position of mayor will be hotly contested in six of the seven shires that make up the Remote Area Planning and Development Board region.

In Boulia, returned mayor Rick Britton said it had been the support of his whole council staff that he regarded as the reason he was re-elected unopposed.

"We can do all the lobbying we can as mayors but if there's not good people on the ground making your words happen, we go backwards," he said.

"There are people out there looking to see whether they're getting value for money and it's the staff, from the CEO down, who have delivered for me, like every successful business."

Cr Britton entered council as Boulia's mayor in a 2007 by-election when incumbent mayor Trevor Jones stood down.

He has had competition every other time he has run for mayor.

"If you'd asked me 12 years ago that this would be the case (being elected unopposed), I'd have looked at you sideways like a puppy," he said. "Politics is a funny game, and I feel very privileged."

Eight people have nominated to fill four council positions in Boulia.

Three of the nominees are current councillors but Brook McGlinchy has stepped down.

Longreach contest

With the retirement of Ed Warren as mayor of the Longreach Regional Council, two candidates have stepped up to fill the breach there.

One is current councillor Tony Rayner and the other is agribusiness financial advisor Brecken Curtis, both of whom are based in Longreach.

This means there will be at least two new Longreach region councillors. Of the six incumbents, four have renominated, along with five new candidates.

This is a far cry from the 2016 election, when 21 people nominated as potential councillors.

Barcoo candidates

Two candidates with no prior experience on council will be contesting the Barcoo Shire Council mayoralty in the wake of Bruce Scott's retirement.

They are the council's current works manager Sally O'Neil and tourism operator Shane Buckley. Both are based in Jundah.

Current councillors Jill Fitzgerald, Peter Batt and Mike Pratt have stepped down, leaving only Dianne Pidgeon renominating for another term.

She has been joined by seven other candidates for the four council positions.

Four mayoral contestants in Barcaldine

Four people have nominated for the top job in the Barcaldine Regional Council including current mayor Rob Chandler and current councillor Sean Dillon.

The other two mayor candidates are the council's finance manager Bob O'Brien and Barcaldine resident Sharon Broughton.

Barcaldine's current deputy mayor Jenni Gray has retired from council as has councillor Gary Bettiens but three incumbents have renominated for the six council positions, along with 11 other people.

Blackall-Tambo candidates

For Blackall-Tambo Regional Council electors, there is a choice for mayor between sitting mayor Andrew Martin and former councillor Peter Skewes.

One current councillor, Graham Jarvis has retired but five of the current six councillors have renominated, along with another seven contenders.

Winton contest

Winton's incumbent mayor Gavin Baskett will be facing Travis Harbour, the councillor he defeated in November 2017 to become mayor following the death of the shire's very popular Butch Lenton.

Judy Sale is not contesting a position on Winton council in 2020 but three current councillors have nominated as well as seven other people.

Diamantina interest

In the Diamantina shire, former mayor Rob Dare, who retired in 2012, is having another run at the top job, taking on incumbent mayor Geoff Morton, along with Michael Dunne.

Bedourie's Bev Maunsell has stood down from council but the other three current councillors have nominated for another term, along with four other people.

One of them is Don Rowlands who unsuccessfully challenged Cr Morton for mayor in the last two elections.

The story Mayoral jobs hotly contested in western Queensland first appeared on Queensland Country Life.