A former NT Labor minister is among those who have nominated as candidates for two by-elections for the troubled Barkly Regional Council, with two new councillors already duly elected, information from the NT Electoral Commission has shows.

The by-elections were required because four councillors quit suddenly, and mostly without explanation, on one day in mid-December.

One of the four, Noel Hayes, told ABC radio Alice Springs the day after that he was angry about a lack of services to remote communities but that he probably would not have quit if Mayor Jeffrey McLaughlin had resigned after his first charge of drug driving in September while he was driving a council car during business hours. The charge was accompanied by charges of supplying less than a commercial quantity of a schedule 2 drug, possessing less than a traffickable quantity of a schedule 2 drug, and cultivating less than a traffickable quantity of a prohibited plant.

He was charged for drug driving a second time less than five months later, but has maintained his innocence.

The chief executive officer Emma Bradbury recently resigned without explanation after the mayor had said councillors had granted her extra leave because of the good job she was doing.

The council has also not released a secret review into council operations done by a Melbourne law firm which was announced on September 23, the same day as the publication of an article by the ABC which reported there had been a “flood of resignations amid allegations of bullying and mismanagement”. The article said Mr McLaughlin and Ms Bradbury had said the complaints were the “venting” of a “small group of disgruntled ex-employees”.

They both denied the allegations.

NT Electoral Commissioner Iain Loganathan said in a press release there were two councillor vacancies in the Alyawarr ward and two candidates nominated thus former Barkly councillor Lucy Jackson and Mark Peterson had been declared duly elected.

While there were five candidates for two vacancies in the Patta ward by-election to be held on May 6, with the candidates, as listed on the ballot paper, being Nungarayi Shirley Lewis, Elliot McAdam, Clarissa Burgen, Pennie Cowin, and Sharen Lake.

Mr McAdam was the Labor member for Barkly from from 2001 to 2008 and Local Government, Housing, Central Australia, and Corporate and Information Services and Communications Minister.

Ms Lake is a recent former community development director at Barkly Regional Council, Ms Burgen has worked in Barkly Aboriginal organisations, and Ms Cowin has worked as a store manager in Tennant Creek.

Mr Loganathan said voting was compulsory and early voting for Patta ward begins on Saturday April 29, at the Barkly Regional Council office.