A member of the dumped Palmerston council has been elected mayor of the city.

Athina Pascoe-Bell was a member of the council when it was dismissed by the Northern Territory Government over governance concerns.

The move related to several events, including a council decision to sign a $13.5 million carpark contract without enough funds or a “subject to finance” clause.

Palmerston residents have taken to the polls just three months after the decision, and elected Ms Pascoe-Bell mayor.

She was running against former mayor Robert Macleod who was jailed for bashing his neighbour with a golf club, after five years as mayor and 12 years in council.

Ms Pascoe-Bell said the council had been given a “clean slate”.

“We've got a new council now and it looks like it's filled with really good quality people so everything's looking positive for moving forward,” Ms Pascoe-Bell said.

“Running as smoothly and transparently as possible is the main focus and then collectively as a council we'll need to decide on what things we need to achieve over the next three-and-a-half years.”

The new mayor said she was the one that highlighted bad governance of the previous council.

“I think clearly the public did recognise what I did when I was on the council,” she said.

“Trying to bring forward transparency in the way the council operated and actually calling out the really bad decisions and the really bad processes.

“I think it's just been reflected in the way people voted, not just for mayor but also high in the vote for aldermen as well.”