Mr Wood, a retired engineering company executive, said he believed he could offer “a fresh set of eyes and did not come with any baggage.”

“I am standing as a totally independent candidate and will not be allocating preferences,” he said.

Mr Wood said he did not have any business interests in the Warrnambool muncipality and would be totally impartial in his voting.

“I do not have a conflict of interest,” he said.

Mr Wood has been part of the management team leading companies that have up to 1000 employees and said he wanted to offer those management skills to the community.

If elected, his management skills could complement those of other councillors who had strong community connections, he said.

But while Mr Wood has only been in Warrnambool for a few years, he has already got well involved in the local community.

He is a volunteer with the Warrnambool Coastguard and is presently studying to be a coxswain on vessels.

He is also a volunteer with the Warrnambool L2P learner driver mentor program and finds the work very rewarding.

Mr Wood said he was standing for council because the community’s perception of the 4-3 factional voting in the past council was unhealthy and not in Warrnambool’s best interests.

He wants to see more openness in the council’s decision making and the financial implications of those decisions.

Some council decisions appeared to be “done deals before they got to the council table,” he said.

Among the issues he wants to pursue are changes to the planned revitalisation of Warrnambool’s central business district to attract more businesses to the northern end of the CBD.

He will also lobby for the proposed Stage Two development of the Warrnambool Base Hospital and for the development to include viable car parking around the hospital.

Also among Mr Wood’s goals are safe boat launching, retrieval and berthing facilities in Warrnambool harbour including the development of a marina, and adequate beach access for horse training.