Wellington City Councillor Tim Brown says there is a "collective will" to solve the problem themselves, without commissioners or the government intervening.
He told Checkpoint there were "definitely some councillors" in favour of government intervention, however.
"We're nine-tenths on the same page. What's critically important to realise is all that matters is 51 percent. So if you're in the 49 and you want something and you don't get it, them's the breaks. That's democracy.
"So if there are three or four councillors advocating for an appointee, as long as the other dozen or so are united… that won't happen, will it?"
He admitted it remained a possibility the government would intervene, but he did not think that was likely.
Councillors have been meeting urgently to discuss the city's long-term plan, amid talk of the government replacing them with commissioners.
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown is to meet with Mayor Tory Whanau over the concerns. He was still waiting on advice from the Department of Internal Affairs, which he said he had requested with urgency.
On Tuesday, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown told media he was seeking advice from officials on the options available to him and thresholds to intervene in the city council, after the council voted last Thursday to stop the sale of its 34 percent stake in Wellington Airport.
Former Local Government New Zealand president Stuart Crosby told RNZ the systemic problems of trust between Wellington City Council's executive and its elected members mean it is "incredibly close" to needing intervention.
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