Voters in a major defence hub will head to the polls after the resignation of a controversial mayor who admitted to vastly exaggerating his military record.

Townsville mayor Troy Thompson formally resigned on Friday after being suspended for 12 months on full pay by the Queensland government in November 2024.

Mr Thompson won the mayoralty in March 2024 after claiming to have served in the army for five years including at Swanbourne, the elite Special Air Service base in Western Australia.

After questions were raised about his service, Mr Thompson said he had in fact served three years in the Army Reserve, mostly in catering.

He blamed a history of "100-plus" concussions for his confusion over the matter.

His resignation comes a week after he was issued a show-cause notice, following a

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