Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate wins fourth term, Scenic Rim mayor ...

• In short: Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has been re-elected for a fourth term. In the Scenic Rim council, Mayor Greg Christensen has been defeated.
• In Gold Coast's Division 7,  incumbent councillor Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden is facing defeat.
• What's next? Counting continues and will clarify other close contests. 

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has won a record fourth term in office, conceding the win may finally make him a "politician".

"I thought I'd go into council to stir it up. I never thought I'd be a politician, but I guess winning the fourth term kind of makes me a politician," Mr Tate said in his victory speech on Saturday night. 

The self-proclaimed "straight talker" currently has 50 per cent of the first preference vote, with the closest challenger, former councillor Eddie Sarroff, receiving 20 per cent of the vote.

Mr Tate said his vision for the city in the next term was to get the light rail to the airport at Coolangatta and increase the infrastructure for sports and events in the city.

"Right now, as a fourth term man, I can say to Gold Coast I'm still an activist because we are going to get our fair share funding for the city, we're going to build infrastructure ahead of population growth, and our lifestyle is not going to change."

With four terms as mayor, Tom Tate will have led the Gold Coast for twice as long as the next longest-serving mayor, Ron Clarke, who served eight years in the top job.

Gold Coast waits for more results

As counting continues, one of the most high-profile races includes Division 7, which is being contested by suspended incumbent councillor Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden, who has been charged with the murder of his stepfather. 

Mr Bayldon-Lumsden, whose lawyers have indicated he intends to plead not guilty, currently sits third with 20 per cent of the first preference vote. 

He trails candidates Jenna Schroeder and Joe Wilkinson, who are neck and neck with about 24 per cent of the vote each as of 10am on Sunday. 

Mr Wilkinson said it could be a while before an outcome was confirmed.

"It's encouraging, but there's still some way to go. I'm anticipating we'll have a better idea hopefully later today. It'll really depend on who lands in the top two," Mr Wilkinson said. 

He said he expected preferences to play a part in the race that includes six candidates. 

Ms Schroeder said she was amazed at how close the results were.

"I'm only around 60 votes behind Joe Wilkinson, who had all the power of the LNP party behind him," she said. 

"I've run this campaign with a small group of passionate community members who have gotten behind me."

Scenic Rim mayor concedes

Scenic Rim Mayor Greg Christensen has formally conceded his position to opponent Tom Sharp after eight years in the role. 

Mr Christensen says he was proud of his achievements, which included what he described as "forever legacies". 

"I leave office knowing our region has come of age under my leadership with international recognition of our rich heritage and character," he said in a statement.

"In spite of every challenge, our economy has gone from strength to strength and is now at its strongest with the foundation well laid for further growth."

Mr Christensen is currently last in the mayoral race, with 17 per cent of the first preference vote and more than 80 per cent of votes counted so far. 

Tom Sharp has yet to comment on the election results, but he is in the lead with 46 per cent of the first preference vote.