The name of jailed sex offender and former mayor Paul Pisasale will remain stripped from two Ipswich City Council assets after a council decision this morning.
In the extraordinary council meeting, all but two of the nine councillors voted to keep the disgraced mayor's name off.
Pisasale's former deputy mayor, Councillor Paul Tully, and another fellow member of the former dismissed council, Councillor Sheila Ireland abstained from the vote.
In December last year the council resolved to take his name off the then Paul Pisasale Bridge in Springfield, and Pisasale Drive, Yamanto – understood to be named after his parents.
Council went to the community to decide on new preferred names.
Councillor Tully led the charge nearly a fortnight ago to put Pisasale's name back on the assets, receiving support from a council majority.
But today's decision overturned that following community backlash, and gave CEO Sonia Cooper power to work with relevant Native Title holders to decide on new names.
Speaking outside the meeting, Mayor Teresa Harding said common sense had prevailed.
"We're a proud city, we're the oldest provincial city in Queensland … we have a great sense of community so we're feeling great embarrassment at what's happened, but it's good to see the decision-makers of this community have made a good decision and that common sense has prevailed.
"You can see in the vote today we've had three councillors who voted to reinstate the Pisasale name change their vote. And I think we need to acknowledge the fact that they've done a lot of soul searching and I thank them for their leadership in changing their mind.
"This has been a very sensitive issue and so I think people have voted with their heart."
Councillor Paul Tully declined requests for comment.
