"I am flattered people have put my name forward but I certainly won't be running,'' she said.

Cr Forshaw, who was first elected to the council in 2004 and became Deputy Mayor in September this year, was suggested as a possible candidate by local Labor Party members.

She said she would support Greg Holland, who has represented Labor in the seat at the past two elections.

"I think Greg deserves another go at it because he has worked very hard at the previous elections and cut the margin each time,'' she said. "He has a lot of community contacts and rapport across the shire.''

Cr Forshaw declined to comment about whether the candidate should be decided by a normal rank-and-file vote.

Manoeuvring in adjoining seats has created fears among some local branch members the Hughes candidate may be chosen by the party's national executive.

Mr Holland has already risked the ire of party officials by calling for a rank-and-file ballot.

He believes the candidate should also be from the shire, which makes up 80 per cent of the electorate.

Hughes has been affected by attempts within Labor ranks to save the career of veteran MP Laurie Ferguson, who has been left without a seat after an electoral redistribution.