Lisa Mahood is a councilor and the former Mayor of the City of Wodonga and the Australian Labor Party

Australian Labor Party

The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...

 candidate for the seat of Benambra

Electoral district of Benambra

The Electoral district of Benambra is an electoral district of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It is located in north-east Victoria and includes the towns of Chiltern, Wodonga, Yackandandah, Beechworth, Tallangatta, and Corryong...

 at the 2006 Victorian State election.

Mahood was approached by each of the three major parties to stand as a candidate, and but she refused offers from each. After talks with State Labor leader and Premier Steve Bracks

Steve Bracks

Stephen Philip Bracks AC is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party, and was party leader and Premier from 1999 to 2007....

, she agreed to stand for preselection, and was endorsed by the Wodonga branch. She announced her intention to stand aside as Mayor of Wodonga to contest the state election.

Mahood polled second for the seat of Benambra, and Liberal candidate Bill Tilley

Bill Tilley

Bill Tilley is the Liberal Party of Australia member for the seat of Benambra in the Victorian Legislative Assembly. He was elected at the 2006 Victorian state election, beating Labor candidate and Wodonga mayor Lisa Mahood and former Nationals Upper House member Bill Baxter.Prior to his candidacy,...

was elected.