Andy Wells is not even out of the mayor's chair at St. John's city hall, but there's already a line formed of would-be replacements.

Ready and waiting: St. John's Deputy Mayor Dennis O'Keefe is aiming for the top job at St. John's city hall.
(CBC)

Wells is pondering his political future, after Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams said Wednesday that Wells could not start serving as chair of the Public Utilities Board until he had first resigned as mayor.

Williams, responding to a public uproar over Wells's decision to collect two full-time salaries until at least the end of September, said he expected Wells to make a decision "sooner rather than later."

Deputy Mayor Dennis O'Keefe has already declared his intentions to run as mayor, as soon as a race officially begins.

He will be facing some familiar faces, including former deputy mayor Marie White, who told CBC News she is already getting her team in place.

"I will be on the ground and running … well, in my case probably not running literally," joked White, a well-known advocate for disabled people.

Former deputy mayor Marie White said she will launch a mayoral campaign 'as soon as the call is made.'
(CBC)

White said her campaign will launch "as soon as the call is made. It's certainly about getting the message out."

Wells had said that he did not want to step down as mayor because the City of St. John's Act forces a byelection if the mayor leaves office more than 12 months before a scheduled election. Wells said a byelection is too expensive.

It's likely now, though, that one will be held, and O'Keefe expects a chain reaction of resignations on council, as members jockey not only for the mayor's chair, but his own.

"People will have to resign their positions [and] it will mean for a time that the city will not have a mayor, the city will not have a deputy mayor, and the city may very well only have half a council until the byelection is actually held," O'Keefe said.

Some councillors, including Frank Galgay and Art Puddister, are likely to run for deputy mayor. Coun. Ron Ellsworth has also fed speculation about his own ambitions, which may include a run for the mayor's chair.

A ticket of change

White, who will have Wells's support for her candidacy, said she nonetheless will be running on a ticket of change. She said she wants to bring a level of tact and diplomacy that she says has been missing with Wells.

Retired business executive Vince Withers is considering a bid to become St. John's mayor.
(CBC)

Retired business executive Vince Withers agrees with that sentiment.

However, the former president and chief executive officer of Newtel Enterprises — who dropped out of the mayoral race in 2005, following the death of his daughter — said no current or former member of council can fill that role.

"Someone has to change that, because it's been going on for 20 years," Withers said.

"I think an outside person can bring in a different perspective."

Withers has not yet made a firm decision. He has set up a foundation to assist patients with eating disorders, in memory of his daughter, and said he wants to make sure the foundation is on solid footing before he enters politics.

On Wednesday, Wells told CBC News he would take a few days before announcing when he intended to resign as a mayor, a post he has held since 1997. He was first elected to council in 1977.