Jill Sheehy is standing for the Whanganui District Council because she wants to "be a facilitator" between the public and the council.
"Having been previously self-employed, I know the struggle to understand and work with [council] compliance," Ms Sheehy said.
Ms Sheehy was born and raised in Whanganui and has spent most of her life here.
She is an accredited independent Resource Management Act commissioner and has sat on a number of council hearing panels. She is also an associate member of the Institute of Directors.
Ms Sheehy said through her work she has developed an understanding of the statutory functions under which the council operates, as well as the varied work the council does.