Wodonga residents have to wait weeks to learn who will lead them after mayoral vote leads to stalemate

Current deputy mayor Graeme Simpfendorfer will act as mayor after incumbent Kev Poulton and challenger Ron Mildren each drew three votes in a vote on Monday night.

A 25-minute break following the show of hands could not resolve the impasse and councillors supported a recommendation that a further vote be held no later than January 16.

The stalemate situation has arisen through the resignation of councillor John Watson due to ill health and his replacement will be determined via an official countback on December 6.

Cr Poulton said all councillors wanted a seven-member council to determine the new mayor, but believed the newcomer should not be forced to make an immediate decision on the leader.

"We discussed the point around how unfair, given the environment they'll be walking into,....it would be to expect that person, who potentially gets sworn in around the 8th or 9th of December then to be ready to go 10 days later (for a mayoral vote)," he said.

"(They'll be).. .given be due time to be able to assess the environment, attend a few briefings, get some background information, no doubt talk to the CEO, talk to the acting mayor."

Earlier Cr Poulton had been supported by Cr Simpfendorfer and Danny Lowe to be mayor and Cr Mildren has the backing of Olga Quilty and Libby Hall.

Stability was the key argument for keeping Cr Poulton in the job he won in 2020.

The case for Cr Mildren centred on him being more experienced as a councillor and a desire to share the job around the council's four-year term.

Cr Poulton said given he was soon leaving his job as 2AY breakfast presenter he would have greater capacity to carry out mayoral tasks.

He said he had always put community over politics and provided "amplified care".

"I would proudly say that anybody who has brought up a concern to me, or through the councillors to me and through to the CEO of the day or our leadership team has received a satisfactory response or knows that it's somewhere within the next few months to come," Cr Poulton said.

Cr Mildren said Wodonga needed a mayor "who is not a commentator or a bystander but who is committed to and capable of bringing local interactive community leadership and strong professional advocacy at all levels".

Earlier, a motion to discuss continued advocacy for a new Albury-Wodonga hospital failed to proceed to discussion after three councillors were forced to declare a conflict of interest after advice from the council's lawyers.

That related to Cr Quilty, Cr Hall and Cr Mildren having political ties which halted them from speaking on a new hospital during the Victorian election campaign.

Cr Quilty is part of the Liberal Democrats and wife of state MP Tim Quilty and Cr Hall and Cr Mildren are Liberal Party members.

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Cr Quilty said that the situation frustrated her "immensely".

"However, this is during the state election only and I intend to pursue this issue, together with my council colleagues after the election, regardless of the election result," she said.

Cr Hall said she had been a Liberal Party member for 18 months but "as a councillor never brought any political views across to my position".

Cr Mildren queried the situation, saying it interfered with the practicalities of local government.

After the trio exited the chamber, Cr Poulton said given there was no longer a quorum the matter could not be debated.

Ex-Albury mayor and Better Border Health member Kevin Mack was in the gallery for the meeting along with citizens wearing badges backing a new hospital.

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