Former NSW Premier Kristina Keneally may be exiting politics, but the family name looks set to live on in her southern Sydney stronghold for some time yet.

Crikey understands Keneally’s husband Ben is girding his loins for a tilt at the mayoralty of Botany Bay City Council, which will be elected by popular vote on September 8.

Ben Keneally, who currently works in a communications gig for Evan Thornley’s electric car battery firm Better Place, refused to rule out a bid this morning but said there were a few logistical hurdles to clear before he could formally throw his hat in the ring.

The looming mayoral race follows the forced resignation of current Labor incumbent and 31-year stalwart Ron Hoenig. Hoenig will replace Kristina Keneally as Labor’s MP for the safe seat of Heffron in a by-election on August 25, with only limited heat coming from Greens rising star Mehreen Faruqi.

Labor has a stranglehold on the council, with all seven councillors members of the local party. Sources say the party’s “rising star” on the council, Stan Kondilios, is considered too busy with his legal career to consider a serious mayoral tilt.

NSW ALP general secretary Sam Dastyari added his substantial factional heft to the Keneally tilt this morning, saying he would make a “good mayor”. Under the Electoral Funding Act, Keneally is prevented from running for mayor is his current guise as a “registered agent” or campaign manager for the Labor-dominated council, but Dastyari said Keneally would likely resign the position as the poll neared.

The announcement of the byelection date this week has effectively forced Labor’s hand. If the council election was held before the byelection, Hoenig, a key Labor Right factional player, could have technically exploited a loophole in Premier Barry O’Farrell’s “get Clover” law — meant to prevent local government councillors from serving simultaneously as MPs — and remained in both positions for two years.

Keneally, a keen Labor Right player, has also been mentioned in despatches as a candidate for the federal seat of Kingsford Smith upon Peter Garrett’s expected resignation in the lead-up to the 2016 federal election (Garrett will almost certainly renominate next year). But Keneally said this morning the eventuality was too far away to possibly countenance. Kingsford Smith overlaps both the Botany Council zone and his wife’s current state fiefdom.

Ben Keneally might be forced to either wind back or relinquish his Better Place duties as the demands of local government bite. However, Kristina should be able to keep family finances healthy through her prominent CEO position at Basketball Australia.