Cr Beveridge announced last week she was quitting Mornington Peninsula Shire less than 18 months into a four-year term.

Her decision to go means Truemans Ward voters are in the unusual position of having voted in December 2007 at the byelection following the death of Ian Johnston, not being required to vote at the full council elections in November 2008 when Cr Beveridge was returned unopposed, but now going to the polls two years and seven months before the next scheduled elections in November 2012.

Cr Beveridge said she was quitting due to "health and financial reasons".

The two coming back for more are Malcolm Jones and James Taylor, the latter leading the four candidates in 2007 after the first round of voting, but being defeated by Cr Beveridge after distribution of preferences.

In effect, Mr Jones' preferences got Cr Beveridge over the line. The fourth candidate in 2007 was Max Le Poidevin.

Mr Jones is well known to peninsula environmentalist as a member of the Australian Greens party and was campaign manager for the Greens' Robert Brown, who stood in Flinders electorate at the 2007 federal elections. Mr Jones also stood in the seat of Mornington at the state elections in 2006. He is working on the campaign of the Greens' Louis Delacretaz who is standing in the upper house seat of Eastern Victoria Region held by Labor's Johan Scheffer.

Mr Jones, a trainer with Rosebud-based Peninsula Training and Employment Program until earlier this month, holds a degree in international community development and is studying for a master of education at the University of Melbourne.

A resident of Rye, Mr Jones and his partner Melinda Morris are getting married in July.

James Taylor has also contested local government and state elections - against the shire's current mayor David Gibb in 2000, Truemans Ward in 2007 and at the state elections in 2006 in Shepparton as a member of the Labor Party.