Tim Koschel, the regional manager for Bendigo Bank, leads four other candidates in the H group on the ballot in the upcoming Wagga local government election.

Cr Koschel, 41, said he has unfinished business, which is why he is running for re-election.

"Things include working with a lot of small businesses who face a lot of red tape around development, [and] working with the community around inclusion programs," he said.

Cr Koschel said one of his key campaign messages for the 2021 election is "no developers, no political parties".

He said party politics has no place at a local government level, and it means local representatives have to toe the party line rather than vote for what is in the best interest of Wagga.

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"Having things forced into council from political parties and having developers sit on there doesn't make it very true or independent," Cr Koschel said.

"I have never been a member of a registered political party ... I talk to all different people ... the best part about being independent is you can pick what works, and you are not tied down."

The current councillors have served a five-year term after COVID delayed the elections.

Cr Koschel decided to run for the first time in 2016 after becoming fed-up with the council, and said he learnt one lesson quite quickly.

"People don't realise once you are in there how hard it is to make a difference," he said.

"You talk to people running now who are saying 'let's get the lake done', or 'let's fix this', and they are really good concepts, but we are running a $5 million deficit, and they are talking about $200 million worth of projects.

"We don't have the budget, so it's about how you are going to work with internal systems to influence and make change. Things we have done during this term you might not see until four years later."

Cr Koschel said while he does not have any regrets, he felt that he admitted when he made a wrong choice.

This was the case in the controversial 2020 motion for Wagga City Council to sever ties with its Chinese sister city Kunming.

Cr Koschel voted in support but soon said it was the wrong move and backed the motion to overturn the decision.

"Sometimes you make a wrong decision, and you have to admit it," he said.

Cr Koschel said he is also passionate about ensuring the smaller villages around Wagga are heard, and that's why his ticket includes people representing those areas.

"I also want to bring more life, more tourism into the town, so how can we work with businesses to introduce major events and bring people into town," he said.

"People have also told me that they feel there is a lack of transparency in council and there is red tape when it comes to development applications.

"I want to help address these."

In the lead up to this year's election, The Daily Advertiser has profiled the candidates looking to secure a spot on Wagga City Council.

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