It seems there will be no vampire candidate, either.
However, amid a series of people ruling themselves out yesterday, the field of candidates expanded by two — the addition of Lianna MacFarlane and Garreth Ottley took the number to 11.
Nominations close on Monday next week at noon.
A by-election is required after the death of councillor and former Dunedin mayor Jules Radich last month.
Ms MacFarlane ran unsuccessfully in the council elections in October, finishing 27th in the race for 14 councillor positions, but was elected on to the Saddle Hill Community Board.
‘‘With the sad and sudden loss of Jules Radich, I’m not alone in wanting to restore balance, common sense and wise financial management to our council,’’ she said.
If Ms MacFarlane were to win, a by-election would be needed for the community board.
She said this was unfortunate, and it had made her decision difficult, but she decided to run again, ‘‘as real challenges remain’’.
For Mr Ottley, it was a fairly late decision to throw his hat into the ring.
The first-time candidate wanted to contribute common sense and ‘‘a bit of moxie’’.
Mr Ottley described himself as a ‘‘family man, looking to offer help and compassion to the city while we battle tough economic times and a changing landscape in local, national and global politics’’.
There was confirmation yesterday the Green Party, Labour and Act New Zealand would not be endorsing candidates in the by-election.
Jett Groshinski was endorsed by Labour for the council election last year.
‘‘After careful consideration, I’ve decided this isn’t the right time for me to stand,’’ he said.
‘‘There is also no Labour ticket contesting this by-election.’’
Lily Warring was part of the Green Party’s team of council candidates in Dunedin last year.
She planned to help the party in this year’s general election, she said.
‘‘I have decided not to stand in this year’s by-election, so that I can dedicate my energy to ensuring strong leadership for Dunedin through the Green Party’s Dunedin and Taieri campaigns,’’ she said.
‘‘With that in mind, I am delighted that Aaron Hawkins has put his name forward and I will be supporting him in his candidacy for the local by-election.’’
Also supporting Mr Hawkins was Zenith Rose-Wills, who campaigned as vampire Ruthven Allimrac in the council election last year.
Mr Rose-Wills said voter turnout tended to be shockingly low for by-elections and he did not want to distract from someone he considered a better candidate.
In light of Mr Hawkins’ candidacy, Evelyn Robertson decided not to stand, saying: ‘‘I believe it is important for the progressive left to rally around a single serious candidate who stands to unite the city and advocate for real change in our communities.’’
The most lively comment came from Robert Hamlin, who felt the STV voting system rewarded people who had achieved name recognition or had previously been on the council.
‘‘I can see no point in getting involved, as I am not prepared to ride around Dunedin’s streets naked on a unicycle backwards with my head on fire waving a neon sign saying ‘Vote for my secret plan to save the world!’,’’ he said.
David Milne and Amy Taylor ruled themselves out.
Other people who have announced their candidacy are Bill Acklin, Jo Galer, Andrew Whiley, Richard Knights, Pamela Taylor, Lync Aronson, Conrad Stedman and Carmen Houlahan.
