The city will welcome a new mayor in October with Nobby Clark confirming he will be "fully into retirement" at the end of this term.
Councillor Ria Bond is the latest to throw her hat in the ring, saying she decided 18 months ago.
One of the main reasons for standing was seeing the public mistrust in the council.
"It all comes back to the fact that people of Invercargill deserve better in their mayor. They deserve someone that can actually listen to them."
Part of her campaign was based on the return of a southern passenger train service — something she had been working on behind the scenes.
The service ran from Christchurch to Invercargill, via Dunedin, from 1970 to 2002.
She is holding a public meeting at the Invercargill railway next Wednesday to discuss that topic.
Cr Bond ran for mayor in 2022, landing 610 votes and a sixth-place finish.
The former New Zealand First MP said she was more focused this time.
"I’ve had a term on council. I know where those pitfalls are.
"I know ... if you don’t have a strong leader or a leader that listens, that relationships can go sideways pretty fast in council."
Other councillors who have stated their intention to run for mayor include five-term councillor Ian Pottinger, deputy mayor Tom Campbell and three-term councillor Alex Crackett.
The election is set for October 11. Voting documents will be delivered from September 9.
— Matthew Rosenberg, Local Democracy Reporter
— LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
