The VEC is re-counting votes for the upper house Northern Metropolitan region. Mr Mayne, currently a Manningham councillor, singled out Yarra and Melbourne, saying there were "some basic governance things that I'd be keen to promote".

"In the case of Yarra it's things like audio-casting council meetings, disclosing council expense claims, better exposure of senior salaries."

Mr Mayne attended a Yarra Council meeting during the election campaign to grill councillors on transparency of expenses and executive salaries. Acting mayor Geoff Barbour said the council appreciated arguments concerning transparency and was investigating the matter further.

"Our internal reporting processes would need to change if we decided to go down that route, but no decision has been made yet," Cr Barbour said.

Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle said when there was a choice between being opaque and being transparent, transparency was always the better choice. "I think you owe that to the public, it is public money."

He added that he would be happy to work with Mr Mayne.

"We would be keen to work with upper house members, we do that now. I'm not sure what power one independent member in the upper house has over the Melbourne City Council, which is also directly elected of course, but we would be very happy to work with him.

Mr Mayne also said he intended to stand up for local government in Spring Street, if elected.

"I would be aiming to work with council to try and negotiate better outcomes in their dealings with Spring Street," he said.

Mr Mayne is in the running to pick up the fifth seat in the Northern Metropolitan region of the upper house after securing a host of preference deals with minor parties.