The death of sitting councillor and former mayor, Jules Radich earlier this month triggered a by-election for a seat at the Dunedin City Council table.
Mr Radich’s funeral was held on Friday.
A council spokesman said yesterday the by-election would be held on May 12.
The Otago Daily Times asked a selection of candidates unsuccessful in October’s election if they planned to run again.
Lync Aronson, now working as a council customer services officer, confirmed he would stand and said a full policy platform would follow.
"A core part of my plan will be protecting household budgets without requiring even a partial sale of Aurora and while still building a council that works for everyone."
Richard Knights said he would run again for council.
The election had been recent and it made sense for candidates who stood last time to have another crack, he said.
Jo Galer said she was strongly considering another campaign because of the council’s "ongoing high spending on non-priority projects".
A mourning period for Mr Radich was appropriate, but she felt the by-election date was set far too late.
The Local Electoral Act requires a by-election be held if an office is vacated more than one year before the next election.
The ODT asked how much the by-election will cost — in reply, the council spokesman said costs were yet to be confirmed but would be unbudgeted.
Further details about the process would be announced when other dates were confirmed, he said.
May 12 falls on a Tuesday, in between the council’s annual plan hearings and deliberations.
A council meeting is scheduled for the following day.
The council did not answer questions about why the by-election date was chosen.
Several people the ODT spoke to yesterday remained shaken by Mr Radich’s death.
Former councillor Bill Acklin said he did not think it was an appropriate time to discuss the by-election.
"Until such time as at least a bit more time goes by and information about it comes out, I won’t be making any call."
Fellow former councillor Andrew Whiley was also struggling with Mr Radich’s death but did not rule himself out.
"[After October’s election] you go through ‘what do you do next, what's life look like, and do I want to go through a by-election?’.
"But at the same time, there's still some work at council that I'd like to finish and I think there's some really good people there I'd like to work with at council."
Former councillor Kevin Gilbert said he had not decided if he would stand but felt the city may benefit from a candidate with experience.
"If I know that there are what I would consider to be other good and experienced candidates then ... I will feel comfortable in supporting them."
Lily Warring, who ran on the Green Party ticket in October, said the topic had not been discussed as she felt it was too soon since Mr Radich’s death.
Rose Finnie (Greens), Rachel Brazil, Bex Twemlow, Paul Pope and Flynn Nisbett all ruled themselves out of another council bid.
Ms Finnie, who was elected on to the Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board in October, said her priority was to serve her community to the best of her ability.
Bruce Ranga, the highest-polling unsuccessful council candidate in October, declined to comment.
Former councillors Jim O’Malley and Carmen Houlahan did not respond to requests for comment.
The council spokesman said the by-election date was decided in consultation with the electoral officer and complied with legislative requirements.
All new councillors received a full induction, including the successful by-election candidate. — Additional reporting by Grant Miller
